President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe is favourite as voters head to the polls on Wednesday for presidential and parliamentary elections.
His strongest challenger is Nelson Chamisa of the CCC party, who only lost to Mnangagwa by a narrow margin in the last elections in 2018.
There have been reports of serious shortcomings in the electoral process in the run-up to the polls, with several human rights organisations pointing to voter intimidation.
This was due to the falsification of the electoral rules and the appointment of backers of governing party Zanu-PF to the electoral commission.
Even after polling booths opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), there were reports of delays at some polling stations nationwide as the necessary documentation had not been delivered on time.
Polling stations would be due to close at 7 p.m…
The electoral commission then has five days to announce the official results, although preliminary results are expected sooner.
Mnangagwa, 80, is seeking to continue his time in charge of the country, with population 16 million.
Zimbabwe has been mired in economic crisis for decades, with soaring inflation and unemployment.
The nation’s elections have been marred in the past by incidents of violence and allegations of manipulation.
Zimbabwe was ruled by strongman Robert Mugabe from 1987 to 2017.
After Mugabe was overthrown by the military, former vice president Mnangagwa came to power.
A year later, the elections won by Mnangagwa were also overshadowed by violence and repression.
A former British colony, Zimbabwe has been ruled by the Zanu-PF party since it became independent in 1980.
dpa/NAN
