Zimbabwe’s presidential election has experienced delays of up to 10 hours in opposition strongholds, prompting election officials to extend the voting period until Thursday. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking re-election for a second and final term in a country known for its history of violent and disputed elections.
Chaotic scenes unfolded at polling stations across Zimbabwe as ballot papers, delivered late in some areas, ran out, forcing officials to suspend voting on Wednesday night. The scarcity of ballot papers especially affected large urban areas, including the capital, Harare.
At the Haig Park Primary School polling station in Harare, frustrated citizens shouted and pushed at election officials and police officers after being informed that they would have to return the following morning due to a shortage of ballot papers for local council elections.
“We are not going anywhere, we will sleep here,” the crowd shouted in union, having waited since early morning.
Some stations had not received any ballot papers by the scheduled closing time of 7 p.m. One voter, Cathrine Nyakudanga, who had been waiting since 7 a.m., expressed her disappointment, saying, “I waited five years to vote, and these hours won’t kill me.” Her sentiment was shared by many, with elderly individuals and women enduring long hours without food or water. Some in line even resorted to lighting fires to prepare dinner.
This election marks the second general election since the removal of longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in a coup in 2017. There are twelve presidential candidates in the running, but the main contest is expected to be between 80-year-old Mnangagwa, commonly known as “the crocodile,” and 45-year-old opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. Mnangagwa narrowly defeated Chamisa in a disputed election in 2018.
Chamisa hopes to end the ruling ZANU-PF party’s 43-year grip on power. Since gaining independence from white minority rule in 1980, Zimbabwe has only had two leaders.
If no candidate secures a clear majority in the first round of voting, a runoff election will be held on October 2nd. The outcome of the election will also determine the composition of the 350-seat parliament and nearly 2,000 local council positions.
Basil Chendambuya, an early voter in a working-class township in Harare, expressed his desire for change, saying, “It’s becoming tougher to survive in this country. I am hoping for change. This is my third time voting, and I am praying hard that this time my vote counts.” Chendambuya shared his concern over his adult children who are only able to secure menial jobs and are living hand-to-mouth.
Zimbabwe, a country in southern Africa with a population of 15 million, possesses vast mineral resources, including the continent’s largest reserves of lithium, a crucial component in electric car batteries. However, watchdogs have long accused widespread corruption and mismanagement of hindering the country’s potential.
Fabio Massimo Castaldo, the European Union’s chief election observer, highlighted significant delays in opening around 30% of polling stations in Harare, often linked to the lack of essential materials, particularly paper ballots. The Zimbabwe Elections Support Network, a non-governmental organization, noted that the delays were disproportionately concentrated in urban areas, which are opposition strongholds. This observation was described by the head of the regional Southern Africa Development Community observer mission, Nevers Mumba, as “very strange.”
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission acknowledged the late distribution of ballot papers at some polling stations and attributed it to printing delays caused by numerous court challenges. Both the ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition had brought several cases over candidate eligibility for both the presidential and parliamentary elections.
Chamisa alleged intimidation in rural areas but urged his supporters to remain patient, emphasizing his belief that they are winning the election and that their opponents are panicking.
In the lead-up to the election, opposition parties and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, accused Mnangagwa of attempting to stifle dissent amidst rising tensions due to a currency crisis, soaring food prices, a crumbling public health system, and a scarcity of formal employment opportunities.
After casting his vote, Mnangagwa expressed confidence in his victory, stating, “If I think I am not going to take it, then I will be foolish.” He encouraged people to remain peaceful.
Mnangagwa was once a close ally of Mugabe and served as vice president before a falling out preceding the 2017 coup. While Mnangagwa has presented himself as a reformer, critics accuse him of being even more repressive.
Zimbabwe has faced sanctions from both the United States and the European Union for the past two decades due to allegations of human rights abuses, charges that the ruling party denies. Mnangagwa has echoed much of Mugabe’s rhetoric against the West, accusing them of seeking to overthrow his regime.
On the eve of the elections, the Carter Center, invited by the government to observe the polls, reported that 30 out of their 48-member observer team had not been accredited. Several local human rights activists, including lawyers and a clergyman known for his critical stance toward the government, were also denied accreditation to observe the vote. The U.S. State Department condemned Zimbabwe’s decision to deny accreditation to these individuals, as well as several foreign journalists.
By Africanews/Hauwa M.
