Zimbabweans vote on Wednesday in the second elections since a military coup in 2017 ousted strongman Robert Mugabe, who has led the country since independence in 1980.
Key facts about ongoing Zimbabwe elections
A man looks for his name on a list outside a polling station in Harare, August 23, 2023.
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Copyright © africanews
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP
Some key elements of the poll:
- 6.6 million registered voters, out of a total population of over 15 million, will directly elect their president, 210 members of parliament and 1,970 local elected representatives.
- An absolute majority must elect the president. A second round is organized if none of the candidates obtains 50% of the votes.
- Parliamentarians and local councillors need only obtain a simple majority.
- Ten men and one woman are running for president, and over 600 for parliament.
- Each presidential candidate has paid $20,000 to appear on the ballot, while the parliamentary aspirants have paid $1,000 each.
- Voters will cast their ballots at more than 12,300 polling stations open from seven o'clock (05:00 GMT) until 19:00 (17:00 GMT).
- With the exception of diplomats and their families, millions of Zimbabweans living and working abroad cannot vote unless they are physically in the country.
- Final results are due to be published within five days of the poll.