HARARE, Aug. 23 — Zimbabweans started to cast their ballots for a new president, parliament and local authorities Wednesday, with delays reported in the opening of some polling stations.
Incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa cast his ballot at Sherwood Primary School in Kwekwe, a city in the Midlands province of central Zimbabwe.
Mnangagwa’s main challenger is Nelson Chamisa of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, who is expected to cast his vote in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.
Long queues started forming at most polling stations in Harare before the scheduled opening time of 7 a.m., local time, but many expressed frustration over the delay in opening.
“I have been here since 5:30 a.m. but it’s now 8:45 a.m. and voting has not started. I wanted to vote early so that I could go and sell my products. I am a vegetable vendor but now with this delay, my business will be affected,” said 40-year-old Margaret Muduri at one of the polling stations in Harare.
EU chief observer Fabio Massimo Castaldo told reporters at a polling station in Harare Wednesday morning that there was a significant delay in the opening by about 30 percent of the total polling stations.
“So far around 30 percent of the polling stations there was significant delay in the opening procedures. The delay was very often linked to lack of essential materials and in some cases, the delay was above one and half hours,” Castaldo said.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said in a statement that some polling stations in the country, particularly in Harare and Bulawayo, did not open on time due to late deployment of election material due to last-minute legal challenges that had been lodged by contestants in the run-up to the poll.
It said all polling stations that opened late will remain open after 7 p.m. to cater for the period of the delay.
Early reports indicated huge voter turnout in some areas, and low in others, according to state media reports.
According to the law, voting opens at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m., after which counting of votes will immediately begin.
More than 6.6 million people are registered to vote in the election.
Several local, regional and international election observers are also observing the elections. (Xinhua)
