APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Millions of Zimbabweans voted on Wednesday in a poll characterised by logistical challenges and unlikely to live by the tenets of a credible, free and fair election.
Most polling stations in the capital Harare delayed opening by more than eight hours, only starting to serve voters after 3pm (1300 GMT) instead of the original time of 7am.
The delayed start, which most affected Harare and the second city Bulawayo, was due to a lack of ballot papers at most polling stations in the two cities.
“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) would like to advise the public that polling stations which opened late will have their voting times extended by the length of time of the delay such that they run for twelve continuous hours,” ZEC said in a notice.
This means that voting in most parts of Harare and Bulawayo would spill into Thursday morning.
However, main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Change slammed the decision to extend voting hours.
“By having night activities, you are actually undermining the security and credibility of the poll. You are actually rendering the vote to machinations, forces, dark forces that operate at night and that is our biggest problem for the Harare vote,” Chamisa told journalists in Harare.
He said election day events have “contaminated” the vote and would not pass any credibility test.
When the ballot papers eventually arrived, Harare voters also had to contend with the issue of multiple candidates for the CCC on the same ballot papers.
In several constituencies there were two or three CCC candidates listed on the same ballot paper, a development seen by some as a ploy to confuse voters on who the bona fide main opposition candidates are.
Under normal situations, where more than one person files in nomination papers purporting to representing the same party, ZEC would only accept the person whose candidature has been endorsed by the party’s official representative as its bona fide candidate while all other nominees are registered as independent candidates.
In another interesting development, most Harareans woke up to a flurry of fliers purportedly circulated by the CCC and asking them to boycott the elections.
“ZANU PF is too desperate… these are the last kicks of a dying horse,” Chamisa said.
Chamisa is contesting against President Emmerson Mnangagwa of ZANU PF in what is seen as a two-horse race for the ticket to occupy State House in Harare.
Over six Zimbabweans also voted for members of the National Assembly and local government councillors.
Vote counting was expected to commence at 7pm at those polling stations that opened on time while counting would start on Thursday morning at those places where there were delays in opening.
Final election results are expected by the weekend.
JN/APA