Ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections, Zimbabwe declared Wednesday August 23 a public holiday to allow about 6.62 million registered voters a chance to cast their votes, following a campaign dominated by the country’s soaring inflation.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa will square up with 10 contenders, including Nelson Chamisa of the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The eventual winner is mandated by law, to secure more than 50% of the votes.
If there is no outright winner, a presidential run-off will be held in six weeks on October 2.
While the presidential and parliamentary elections has been characterised by the country’s economic challenges, it is the first election since the passing of Robert Mugabe in 2019.
Mugabe dominated Zimbabwean politics and the ruling Zanu-PF party for decades.
Polling stations will open at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and voters will also be casting ballots for local councillors.
In compliance with electoral laws and ahead of voting day, election officials set up polling stations in the capital, Harare, and pulled down political posters within the precincts of the polling area.
According to police chief Godwin Matanga, the pre-election period had been largely peaceful despite some skirmishes. Matanga added that Police have been deployed around the country to maintain law and order.
However, opposition parties claim a disproportionate number of their rallies were interrupted or banned by police.
Earlier this month, a CCC supporter was murdered during clashes. Police have arrested 15 suspects linked with the matter.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has warned people against wearing nail varnish or nail extensions on their left pinkie finger, which will be marked with indelible ink after voting.
Election Monitoring groups have raised concerns about alleged anomalies on the voters’ register, saying some names have been moved from their usual place of voting to other areas.
There are also criticism about Internet downgrade on election eve, which many electorates consider as the ruling party’s ploy to evade scrutiny.
There has also been criticism about last-minute boundary adjustments, meaning voters may not know their assigned polling station has changed.
Mnangagwa, who is seeking a second term in office, desires an international stamp of approval for the vote so Zimbabwe’s foreign debt can be restructured and potentially open up fresh lines of credit frozen more than two decades.
He has battled soaring inflation, which was in the single digits in late 2017. It reached 176% in June with figures out this week indicating it has dipped to 77.2% from 101.3% in July.
Zanu-PF did not produce a manifesto, saying the president’s work speaks for itself, with a boom in mining and big investments in infrastructure.
However, the CCC says ordinary people have not benefited, with one in four Zimbabweans out of steady job. Chamisa says he plans to scrap the volatile local currency if he wins.
Voting will close at 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT). The presidential results are expected on Monday August 28, 2023.