Zimbabwe: Voting underway despite delays, slow internet

Voting is underway in Zimbabwe’s second general elections since a 2017 coup deposed the late ruler Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabweans will elect a new president, 210 national lawmakers and 1,970 local government and municipal leaders.

Voting officially began at more than 12,300 polling stations at 7am (05:00 GMT) and is expected to close at 7pm (17:00 GMT).

Due to delay in the arrival of voting materials in some cities, the electoral commission has said voters in queue at 7 pm (17:00 GMT), will be allowed to vote.

Eleven candidates, including one woman, are vying for the presidency.
Ahead of voting, the United States Department of State said it was concerned by recent “political violence and legislation that curtails human rights and freedoms”.

Approximately 6.6 million Zimbabweans have registered to vote in what is expected to be a keenly contested election.