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Polling stations in Zimbabwe closed on Monday after the first election of the country without former leader Robert Mugabe on the ballot, and election officials are preparing to start counting
The Election Commission Zimbabwe has announced that it will announce its results within five days. 19659002] Earlier, the main opposition leader in this nation of southern Africa said the reports of late voting were a "deliberate attempt" to undermine his supporters. The charges of Nelson Chamisa, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, have heightened concerns about the management of elections and the prospect of a dispute over their outcome.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, former vice president, promised a credible vote He hopes to bring legitimacy and international investment. A seriously flawed process could signal more stagnation. Mugabe, 94, has headed Zimbabwe since his independence in 1980 until his resignation in November, and many people are eager to change.
Chamisa worries about delays in polling stations in urban areas where support for the opposition is traditionally strong. The ruling ZANU-PF party has dominated many rural areas in past elections marked by violence and irregularities.
"There seems to be a deliberate attempt to repress and frustrate urban voters with unnecessary delays," Chamisa said. He acknowledged that there was a "good participation".
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After closing 19:00 of a polling station, the president asked the polling stations of the parties to inspect the voting booths to make sure it did not happen. There were no ballots. Then, the polling stations inspected the ballot boxes, noting the serial numbers on the locks
Twelve hours earlier, long lines were formed outside many polling stations in Harare, the capital, and elsewhere. Anyone online from 7 pm The opposition parties feared that their supporters would walk away if they were forced to wait for hours in the open air without food or drink.
Some observers welcome Zimbabwe's more free political environment, but are concerned about the state's bias. the media, the lack of transparency in the printing of ballots and the intimidation reports of traditional pro-government rulers supposed to remain neutral.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, accused of winning failed elections for Mugabe in the past, said will be free and fair
Political and Economic Paralysis
"We have We need peace and we need everyone to be comfortable exercising their right to vote without fear, "said Priscilla Chigumba, a judge who chairs the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. She expressed confidence that the vote in most of the country's 11,000 polling stations would be completed by the closing date.
About 5.5 million people were registered to vote in an election considered by many as an opportunity to go beyond political decades. and economic paralysis.
A record of more than 20 presidential candidates and nearly 130 political parties participated. If no presidential candidate wins 50% of the vote, a second round will take place on 8th September.
"I want to do this and continue my work, I leave nothing to chance, it's my future" Emerina Akenda, a voter for the first time
The two main contenders are Mnangagwa, aged 75 years, who took over after Mugabe resigned under military pressure and from the ruling party last year and Chamisa, 40 years old. and a pastor who became head of the main opposition party a few months after the death of his leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
"We suffered a great deal"
After the vote, Mnangagwa declared that the election He was peaceful and enlisted in a Zimbabwe where people have the "Freedom to express their opinions, whether they are negative or positive".
Whistles and cheers greeted Chamisa as he was voting outside of Harare. He said he hoped that voting in rural areas, where most of Zimbabwe's voters are and where the ruling party generally reigns, would be right.
Despite Mugabe's troubled legacy, dozens of enthusiastic Zimbabweans gathered in front of the polling station. vote. Struggling to walk, Mugabe raised his fist to recognize them. He went to the voting center and had his finger inked, and was helped by his wife in the booth.
Mugabe said Sunday that Chamisa was the only viable candidate and rejected Mnangagwa and the ruling party, saying, "I can not vote for those who tormented me."
Chigumba, the leader of the electoral commission, said the police had been informed of two presidential candidates who could have broken the law by campaigning after the deadline. She did not name them, but it is likely that they are Chamisa and Mnangagwa, both of whom issued public statements on Sunday.
Even though it was a holiday, some government offices were open for those who had lost their identity cards.
Inside the polls, voters received three ballots: one for the presidential choice, one for the deputy and one for the local councilor. The tellers helped the electors put each ballot in the correct box.
"We need change because we have suffered a lot here," said Mable Mafaro, 65, voting in Harare. "We have suffered a lot, that's all."
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