Zimbabwe elects a new president with delayed opening of some polling stations

Some polling stations in Zimbabwe were delayed in opening, preventing voters from casting their votes for the first few hours.

Zimbabwe will choose its next president from eleven candidates, but the most elected are the current 80-year-old president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and Nelson Chamisa, 45.

“This time there was more awareness. There was a huge turnout, after more than 6.6 million people registered to vote. In the last election, we had about five million voters,” Mnangagwa said at the exit.

“If I thought I wouldn’t win, I’d be crazy. All of us who take part in this race want to win,” he added, after journalists asked him for a prediction of the election results.

Mnangagwa, of the Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, is seeking another five-year term after taking power following the coup against Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019.

The head of the European Union (EU) observation mission, Italian MEP Fabio Castaldo, told EFE there were “significant delays” in about 30% of voting centres, mainly caused by the lack of ballots.

The ZEC, which has admitted delays due to the distribution of ballots in Harare and Bulawayo provinces, has indicated that these centers will remain open after the official closing time, at 7pm (5pm GMT).

The results of these elections are expected to be known within five days.

For his part, Chamisa, from the front of the Coalición de Ciudadanos por el Cambio (CCC), deplored the delays in the opening of schools and denounced irregularities.

“We are disappointed that the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) has failed the citizens,” the opponent said after voting in Kuwadzana, a neighborhood in Harare.

According to Chamisa, his party has not yet received the full voter count and the ballots to vote for his party have not yet arrived at many polling stations, two problems that international observers have complained about in recent days.

“There will be a new leader, a new president and a new government. We win these elections. And they (the Zimbabwean government) know it. That’s why they’re panicking,” he said.

If no more than 50% of the votes are obtained, a second round will take place on 2 October. (JO)

Questions and answers from the 2023 Elections