Zimbabwe elections: Cries of voter suppression due to lack of voting material at polling stations

Members of the African Union Election Observation Mission talk to a Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) official at a polling station in Bulawayo Zimbabwe on 23 August 2023. (Photo: Zinyange Auntony / AFP)

Zimbabwean citizens wait in a queue at a polling station before voting commences in Mabvuku suburb on 23 August 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images)

Lovejoy Phewula, who is also a first-time voter, quickly dashed to South Africa to buy necessities after casting his vote.

“I’m happy. I want to see Zimbabwe prosper in many ways. I hope my vote will bring economic development.

“I was previously disgruntled and chose not to vote.

“This time, I changed my mind and voted. My vote counts. My vote is important for Zimbabwe to prosper.

“To all those who are angry, there is enough time to change their minds. They must go in numbers and vote. Zimbabwe needs their votes,” said Phewula.

– Ntwaagae Seleka

Ecstatic first-time voter Lawrence Chipendo tells News24 he spent the night thinking about the party of his choice.

Chipendo voted in Beitbridge.

He said he was happy that his vote would be counted among many, hoping it would bring change in Zimbabwe.

“I’m very happy that, for the first time, I’ve cast my vote. I took a day off from work to go home and vote.

“I’m going back to work happy that I’ve voted. Things went well at my voting station. I didn’t encounter any problem,” said Chipendo.

– Ntwaagae Seleka

Zimbabweans vote amid fears of rigging and crackdown on opposition

Zimbabweans voted in closely-watched elections in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking a second term after a campaign tainted by a crackdown on the opposition, fears of vote rigging and public anger at the economic crisis.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, who came to power after a coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, squares off against Nelson Chamisa, 45, who leads the yellow-coloured Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party.

Talk of change or a better tomorrow are often associated with support for Chamisa, who few would openly say they support. But the odds are stacked against the opposition.

Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor, has promised a new Zimbabwe “for everyone” and pledged to tackle corruption, relaunch the economy, and pull the country out of international isolation.

Yet, in a nation with a history of tainted elections, few believe he will emerge the outright winner.

His party has complained about being unfairly targeted by authorities, its members have been arrested, dozens of its events blocked, and little or no air time has been alloted to it on national television.

But the deputy chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Rodney Kiwa, dismissed concerns about irregularities in the voters roll as “the product of creative imagination”.

Chamisa is used to disputed elections.

He narrowly lost to Mnangagwa in 2018, a poll he condemned as fraudulent. It was tainted by a deadly crackdown on post-election protests.

– AFP

Zimbabweans in Musina, Limpopo, who cast their votes this morning, say they are hopeful for better services. Three people who spoke to News24 on condition of anonymity said they arrived at their voting station near Beitbridge, Zimbabwe, earlier in the morning. They displayed their pinky fingers with ink – a sign that they had voted. They all smiled, claiming they had been longing for this day.

– Ntwaagae Seleka 

Mnangagwa’s son turned away from polling station as logistical troubles – and fear – mar Zim voting

Zimbabwe’s elections were hit by a series of logistical difficulties on Wednesday, with one preventing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son from casting his vote.

Collins Mnangagwa was turned away from a polling station because his name did not appear on the voters’ roll.

He was advised to look for his name at another polling station.

The incident may help ease the fears of some voters who expressed the belief that what appeared to be technical problems were, in fact, a ploy to frustrate opposition supporters.

Opposition leader for the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Nelson Chamisa (C) casts his ballot at a polling station during the presidential and legislative elections in Harare, on 23 August 2023. (Photo: John Wessels/AFP)

Zimbabwean nationals who have cast their votes at the Beitbridge border. (Photo: Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

Some voters are being turned away from polling stations because their names do not appear on the polling station voters’ roll. One of them is President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son Collins, who failed to vote and was advised to look for his name at another polling station.

–  Lenin Ndebele

‘If I think I’m not going to take it, then I will be foolish’ – Mnangagwa casts vote in home town

Zimbabweans on Wednesday voted in closely-watched presidential and legislative elections after a campaign tainted by a crackdown on the opposition, fears of vote rigging and public anger at the economic crisis.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, who came to power after a coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 is seeking re-election.

His main challenger is Nelson Chamisa, 45, who leads the yellow-coloured Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party.

Casting his ballot in his home town of Kwekwe, central Zimbabwe, a confident Mnangagwa told journalists: “If I think I’m not going to take it, then I will be foolish.”

“Everyone who contests should go into the race to win”, he added, sporting his trademark multicoloured scarf.

The opposition is hoping to ride a wave of discontent over the southern African country’s economic woes that include high inflation, unemployment and widespread poverty.

– AFP

There were delays in the opening of some polling stations across the country, including Zimbabwe’s biggest cities. According to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), it was because of the delay in ballot paper printing, which was in turn due to numerous court appeals. In Bulawayo, 75% of polling stations opened at 08:15 instead of 07:00. In Harare, only 23% managed to open on time. The affected polling stations are due to stay open beyond 19:00.

– Lenin Ndebele

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the presidential and legislative elections in Mbare, Harare.

(Photo by John Wessels/AFP)

A woman walks away from a voting booth after marking her ballot at a polling station during the presidential and legislative elections in Mbare, Harare.

(Photo by John Wessels/AFP)

‘It’s important for me to vote’: Zimbabweans queue to cast ballots  

In Harare’s oldest suburb Mbare, voters started to queue early in the morning outside more than a dozen large green tents set up as polling stations on a dusty field facing rundown apartment blocks and empty wooden market stands.

As the sun rose, some used light from their mobile phones to search for their name on voters’ rolls hanging outside the tents to make sure they were at the right polling stations.

Diana Office, a woman in her 30s, said she arrived two hours before polls were due to open to avoid queues.

“It’s important for me to vote,” she said.

Asked if she was hopeful things would improve after the elections, she laughed, resting her head on the back of a friend queuing in front of her.

“No,” she said. “I’m just here to exercise my right only.”

– AFP

Zimbabwe votes in uphill election for defiant opposition  

Zimbabweans on Wednesday began voting in closely-watched presidential and legislative elections after a campaign tainted by a crackdown on the opposition, fears of vote rigging and public anger at the economic crisis.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, who came to power after a coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 is seeking re-election.

His main challenger is Nelson Chamisa, 45, who leads the yellow-coloured Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party.

The opposition, traditionally stronger in urban areas, is hoping to ride a wave of discontent over the southern African country’s economic woes that include high inflation, unemployment and widespread poverty.

Voting stations will close at 19:00 (17:00 GMT). The final results should be declared within five days.

– AFP

Voters queue at a polling station during the presidential and legislative elections in Mbare, Harare.

(Photo by John Wessels/AFP)

‘We will not accept a rigged vote,’ says Chamisa

“I have told the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that what happened in 2018 cannot be repeated. We will not accept a rigged vote,” lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) said at his last campaign rally on Monday.

Mnangagwa has repeatedly called for peace and tolerance in his campaign speeches.

“We will deal with those who want to perpetrate violence,” he told supporters on Saturday in Shurugwi, more than 300km south of Harare.

To win the presidency, a candidate must get more than 50% of the vote.

If there is no outright winner, a run-off between the top two candidates will be held on 2 October.

Parliamentary and local council candidates only need a simple majority of votes cast.

– Reuters

Little change in Zimbabwe since Mugabe era

Political analysts say Zimbabwe’s unending economic maelstrom could tip the contest in favour of the opposition if the election is clean.

The local currency has weakened by about 85% since the start of the year and inflation has reached triple-digit levels, pushing people further into poverty in a country where only 30% hold formal jobs.

But analysts say ZANU-PF, which has been in power for more than four decades, has an unfair advantage as it wields control over the police and other key institutions.

“The electoral playing field is heavily skewed in favour of the ruling party, which has used state institutions to close the democratic space,” said Africa Risk Consulting, a private firm, in a pre-election note.

“Five years into Mnangagwa’s rule, conditions have not changed much from the Mugabe era,” it said.

ZANU-PF and the police deny seeking to influence the outcome.

– Reuters

Will Chamisa’s second bite yield results?

It is the second contest between lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa who won a closely contested poll in 2018, which the opposition alleged was rigged.

The country’s constitutional court upheld Mnangagwa’s election.

Polls opened at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and were due to close at 19:00 (17:00 GMT).

Some 6.6 million people are registered to vote in the nation of about 15 million.

At Sherwood Primary School in the city of Kwekwe, where Mnangagwa is registered to vote and will cast his ballot later, dozens of voters lined up from 06:00 and chatted in hushed tones waiting for voting to start.

In the capital Harare, in the Kuwadzana constituency where Chamisa will vote, people also said they were hungry for change.

“We are struggling and hungry. I have five grandchildren that I am taking care of. I’m fortunate that I own a house and can shelter them as their fathers don’t work,” said Mabel Fambi, a 67-year-old grandmother.

Vote-counting will start as soon as polling stations close, and parliamentary results are expected to trickle in over the course of Thursday morning.

The presidential result is expected to come later, though well ahead of a five-day deadline.

– Reuters

Many Zimbabweans desperate for change

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking re-election after a first term during which runaway inflation, currency shortages and sky-high unemployment made life a misery for Zimbabweans, many of whom rely on US dollar remittances from relatives abroad to make ends meet.

The cash-strapped country’s chances of resolving a debt crisis that prevents it from accessing World Bank and International Monetary Fund loans are at stake, as foreign lenders have said a free and fair election is a pre-condition for any meaningful talks on the issue.

Mnangagwa, who took over when longtime strongman Robert Mugabe was toppled in a 2017 military coup, faces 10 other candidates including his main challenger, lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

– Reuters

US says it is concerned by political violence ahead of Zimbabwe elections

The United States is concerned by recent events ahead of this week’s election in Zimbabwe, “including political violence and legislation that curtails human rights and freedoms”, the State Department said on Tuesday.

“We call on the government of Zimbabwe and all political leaders to ensure the elections are free of violence and coercion,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Police have blocked some opposition rallies ahead of Wednesday’s vote in the impoverished African nation.

– Reuters

Zimbabwe elections facts and figures

Here are some facts and figures about the vote:

– Polling day

– There are 6.6 million Zimbabweans registered to vote, out of a population of more than 15 million, in what is predicted to be a divisive election.

– Voters cast ballots at more than 12 300 polling stations that open for 12 hours starting at 07:00 am (05:00 GMT) to 19:00 (17:00 GMT).

Except for diplomats and their spouses, millions of Zimbabweans who are living and working abroad have to be physically inside the country to cast their ballots.

– Final results must be released within five days of polling.

– AFP

Two women walk past Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) election campaign posters in Harare on 22 August 2023.

(Photo by John Wessels/AFP)

Zimbabwe elections facts and figures

Zimbabweans cast ballots on Wednesday in the country’s second general election since the 2017 coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe, who led the country to independence from Britain in 1980.

Here are some facts and figures about the vote:

– Eleven presidential candidates, including one woman are vying for the country’s top job, while more than 600 candidates are hoping to secure one of the elected parliamentary seats.

Each of the presidential hopefuls paid $20 000 to appear on the ballot paper while those wishing to be members of parliament paid $1 000 each.

– AFP

 

 

A Zimbabwe Electoral Commission banner is seen at a market in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe on 22 August 2023.

(Photo by Zinyange Auntony/AFP)

Zimbabwe elections facts and figures

Zimbabweans cast ballots on Wednesday in the country’s second general election since the 2017 coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe, who led the country to independence from Britain in 1980.

Here are some facts and figures about the vote:

– Who is being elected?

– Voters will vote directly for a president, 210 national lawmakers and 1 970 local government and municipal leaders.

A president is elected through an absolute majority.

If none of the candidates wins at least 50% plus one of the votes, a run-off is called.

Lawmakers and municipal councillors only require a simple majority to win.

– AFP

Zimbabweans vote but hopes of ending economic freefall appear dim

Zimbabweans vote on Wednesday with many citizens desperate for change after two decades of relentless economic chaos, but sceptical that the ruling ZANU-PF party will allow a credible election or any loosening of its stranglehold on power.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking re-election after a first term during which runaway inflation, currency shortages and sky-high unemployment continued to make life a misery for Zimbabweans, many of whom rely on US dollar remittances from relatives abroad to make ends meet.

The cash-strapped country’s chances of resolving a debt crisis that prevents it from accessing World Bank and International Monetary Fund loans are at stake, as foreign lenders have said a free and fair election is a pre-condition for any meaningful talks on the issue.

Mnangagwa, who took over when longtime strongman Robert Mugabe was toppled in a 2017 military coup, faces 10 other candidates including his main challenger, lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

– Reuters