HARARE: 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.
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 graft, high inflation, unemployment and widespread poverty.
But delays in opening some polling stations, especially in the capital, an opposition stronghold, raised opposition concerns.
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".
He narrowly lost to Mnangagwa in 2018, a poll he condemned as fraudulent. It was tainted by a deadly crackdown on post-election protests.
At least 6.6 million people are registered to vote.
Late deployment of voting material led to delays in polls opening in parts of the country, with just a quarter of stations opening on time in the capital Harare, according to the electoral commission. — AFP
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