Zimbabweans casting ballots in contested presidential election

PanARMENIAN.Net - Zimbabweans began casting ballots on Wednesday, July 31, in a fiercely contested election dominated by Robert Mugabe’s bid to extend his 33-year rule and overshadowed by suspicions of vote rigging, AFP reports.

The 89-year-old president, Africa’s oldest leader, is running for election for the seventh and perhaps final time, after a series of violent crackdowns, economic crises and suspect elections.

This time Mugabe vowed to step down if he lost and claimed the army – long the bulwark of his rule – would also respect any victory for Morgan Tsvangirai, his perennial rival.

But few are taking him at his word. Even Tsvangirai, who was forced out of the race in 2008 after 200 of his supporters were killed, said he took Mugabe’s promise “with a pinch of salt”.

Determined to cast their ballots, voters, some wrapped in blankets on a cold winter morning, started queuing up at least four hours before polling stations opened.

Voting appeared to be brisk in many urban areas, which have traditionally recorded strong support for Tsvangirai.

Millions of Zimbabwean were forced to migrate to find work elsewhere after an economic crisis which was exacerbated by the violence-marred 2008 elections.

Some 6.4 million people, around half of the population of 12.9 million Zimbabweans, are eligible to vote at 9,670 polling stations across the country. A candidate needs 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off and both Mugabe and Tsvangirai appear confident they can manage that feat.