Image caption
Count count continued during the night
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he received "extremely positive" news, but opposition leader Nelson Chamisa said his party "was making a big splash".
Zimbabwe votes for both a new president and the new parliament.
Monday's vote – the first since longtime ruler Robert Mugabe was ousted – drew a strong 75%
key turnout – with nearly half of the 5.6 million people in the vote. Zimbabwean registered voters under the age of 35.
This election is also the first to allow observers from the European Union and the United States in more than a decade.
According to observers, the race between Mr. Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF party and Mr. Chamisa's MDC alliance is extremely close. The two men are among the 23 candidates for the presidency.
They both hinted that the victory was expected Tuesday, but they were waiting for the electoral commission to announce the official results, which must be returned by Saturday at the latest. by @edmnangagwa
Hello Zimbabwe. I am delighted with the high turnout and engagement of citizens up to now. The information of our representatives on the ground is extremely positive! Wait patiently for the official results of the constitution
Earn so resounding … We now have the results of the majority of the more than 10,000 polling stations. We did extremely well. While waiting for the ZEC to fulfill its constitutional duty to officially announce the election results of the people and we are ready to form the next govt. #Godisinit
They run for president for the first time and need more than 50% of the votes to win .
Otherwise, a second round will take place on September 8th.
Who are the main presidential rivals?
Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF
Copyright AFP
Known as "crocodile" because of his political finesse – his party is known as "Lacoste "
Accused of attacks on supporters of the opposition after the 2008 elections
Thought to be 75 years old, he promises jobs, and is considered open to economic reforms [19659026] Survived several assassination attempts, blamed on supporters of the former president Mugabe
The "crocodile" who retorted
Nelson Chamisa, MDC Alliance
Right to Image writer Reuters
His skull fractured security officer in 2007
Becomes a 25-year-old deputy, minister at age 31 and could become the youngest president at 40 [19659026] A recently qualified pastor, he uses the hashtag #GodIsInIt for his campaign
promised to reconstruct The country devastated the economy, but has been criticized for making extravagant promises – such as introducing a high-speed train and bringing the Olympics to Zimbabwe.
The crusader attacking the crocodile of Zimbabwe
What do foreign observers say?
The chief observer of the European Union, Elmar Brok, said that it was too early to make a judgment, but that the vote had been "very smooth" in some regions and "totally disorganized" in other regions. Concern over the voters list, the opposition expressed concern about the security of ballots and intimidation of voters in rural areas.
Liberian ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was watching the poll on behalf of the Institute, told the BBC that Monday's long queues showed that Zimbabweans were enthusiastic about it. The idea of voting, without any form of repression.
"I think it's an exciting time for Zimbabweans to change the course of their lives through their votes," she told the BBC.
