Voting Enters Second Day in Zimbabwe, Amidst Ballot Rigging Claims
Voting in Zimbabwe presidential and parliamentary elections is continuing in some parts of the country, after delays prompted a second day of voting amid complaints of ballot rigging.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa gave notice that polling would be extended in 40 wards, in three of the 10 provinces. It includes parts of the capital, Harare – which is considered an opposition stronghold.
Only a quarter of polling stations there opened on time because of problems with ballot papers. In some areas, ballot papers ran out, forcing voters to wait late into the night.
The elections body blamed last-minute court challenges for the late arrival of council election ballot papers.
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) opposition leader Nelson Chamisa accused the governing Zanu-pf of voter suppression.
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“We spent the while night here. We are concerned. This is the first time in my life seeing a situation where people cannot vote because papers are not there. It’s not making sense,” said Cadwell Munjoma, 55, wearing an overcoat at a polling station in the middle-class Mabelreign suburb at dawn.
This is the second general election since the ouster of longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in a coup in 2017.
The southern African nation of 15 million people has vast mineral resources, including Africa’s largest reserves of lithium, a key component in making electric car batteries. But watchdogs have long alleged that widespread corruption and mismanagement have gutted much of the country’s potential.
Ahead of the election, opposition and rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International accused Mnangagwa of seeking to silence dissent amid rising tensions due to a currency crisis, a sharp hike in food prices, a weakening public health system and a lack of formal jobs.
