Voters queue to cast their ballots at a polling station in Bulawayo on August 23, 2023. (Photo by Zinyange Auntony / AFP)
Harare: Zimbabwe's opposition leader on Wednesday accused the ruling ZANU-PF government of "rigging" and "voter suppression" as long delays marred the start of balloting in key districts in Zimbabwe's high stakes elections.
As polling began to close in some voting stations, it was only starting in others prompting opposition accusations of vote manipulation after a campaign marked by tension and a clampdown.
Less than a quarter of polling stations in Harare -- an opposition stronghold -- opened on time, according to electoral authorities, who blamed the problem on delays in the printing of ballot papers.
"This is a clear case of voter suppression, a classic case of Stone Age, antiquated, analog rigging," Nelson Chamisa, 45, the head of the leading opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) told a press conference in the capital.
Chamisa is the main challenger to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, who came to power after a coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017.
Mnangagwa is seeking a second term in an election that came to a backdrop of widespread discontent at the southern African country's economic troubles.
The poll is being watched across southern Africa as a test of support for the ZANU-PF party, whose 43-year rule has been battered by an economic slump and charges of authoritarianism.
Chamisa blamed the governing ZANU-PF party, which has ruled the country since independence, for the delays, saying it said was "desperate" to cling to power and risking plunging the country into a "crisis".
The electoral commission blamed the problem on delays in the printing of ballot papers "arising from numerous court challenges".
Polling in Harare's oldest suburb of Mbare started closing around seven pm (1700 GMT), while opening at another station in a suburb west of Harare.
"This is a way to frustrate Harare voters. A way to manipulate the election results," voter Tafadzwa Dhlodhlo said at a Warren Park polling station. "This is an embarrassment".
Ballots at a school serving as a polling station in a poor neighbourhood arrived only after 2:30 pm (1230 GMT) whereas polling had been scheduled to start at seven am.
"I have been here since six am. I am so disappointed," said Linda Phiri, 53, a mother of three. "I'm sleeping here,... I want to cast that vote so that we are liberated," said Phiri.
Chamisa lashed out at the problems, saying it was a "classic of voter suppression" targeting CCC strongholds.
"The fact they have targeted Harare... is an indication that they are scared of people in the urban areas."
At least 6.6 million people were registered to vote, with more than a million found in Harare. Publication of results is legally required within five days.
To clinch re-election Mnangagwa must win an absolute majority or face a runoff.
Casting his ballot in his home town of Kwekwe in central Zimbabwe, a confident Mnangagwa -- nicknamed the "Crocodile" for his determination said: "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.
