Polls Open in fiercely contested Zimbabwe Elections

Millions of registered Zimbabwean voters will tomorrow are at the polls to elect a president among five candidates which includes the incumbent President, 89-year-old Robert Mugabe, and current Prime Minister, 61-year-old Morgan Tsvangirai as well as elect Parliamentarians and other sub-national political officers. At a polling station at the Alexandra Park Primary School in Harare's north suburb, hundreds of policemen who had failed to cast ballots in early voting queued from 5 a.m. to vote. They were given priority to vote before being deployed to duty. Civilian voters, some in thick quilts, formed a long throng outside the polling station at 4 a.m. in Harare's chilly winter morning. According to ZEC, a total of 9 735 polling stations will be opened continuously from when voting starts at 7am and closes at 7pm and has employed over 96,000 poll workers with each polling station being serviced by at least 10 polling officials. This election will be the first harmonized poll under the country's new constitution and for the presidency; the winner is decided by an absolute majority. If no candidate receives 50% + 1 of valid votes in the first round, a second round will be conducted between the top two candidates on September 11, 2013. This is the third attempt by Tsvangirai, 61, a former trade unionist, to unseat the 89-year-old Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. Both pundits and politicians have described this as a "watershed" election for the top candidates, whose careers hang in the balance and possibly see an end unity government, which has been shaky and rife with mutual mistrust. AEP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Zimbabwe Elections Update: Smooth, peaceful but long queues.

There were hordes of registered voters braving the freezing Zimbabwe weather to queue at polling stations, some as early as 4am this morning, even before the official opening of polls at 7am to elect a president among five candidates which includes the incumbent President, 89-year-old Robert Mugabe, and current Prime Minister, 61-year-old Morgan Tsvangirai. Voters will as well elect Parliamentarians and other sub-national political officers. According to SADC and AU observers, the electoral process has been peaceful, smooth so far apart from minor glitches. “So far so good," said Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria who is leading the AU observer mission, after visiting a polling station in Harare. However, the most worrying news is of voters being turned away because their names are not in the voters roll or they do not have proper identification or their names are in a different ward. For instance in Mount Pleasant, Harare where Morgan Tsvangirai, prime minister and opposition leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, cast his vote with his wife, Elizabeth, 129 people were turned away by the presiding officer because their names were in ward 20 Mazowe South. However, at the ZEC Press Conference, the Chairperson says all those turned away because voter slips do not indicate their wards have been advised to go back and vote. Among the two key contestants, Morgan Tsvangirai cast his vote first and told reporters this is a historic moment for everyone to complete the delayed runoff from 2008. “I am winning resoundingly” he added that this election is a “life and death vote”. President Mugabe and candidate for the ZANU-PF cast his vote together with his family at Mhofu primary school in Highfield Township, Harare and told journalists afterwards that "I will serve five years if I win, I will not cheat my people if they vote for me." "I'm sure people will vote freely and fairly," and he added that "There's no pressure being exerted on anyone." In the course of the voting, the opposition MDC-T organized a press conference at Harvest House addressed by the party’s Secretary General, Tendai Biti who claimed the voters roll has 200,000 people over the age of 103. ZEC is an “arrogant group of people” and also said they “have already made clear this election is illegal, illegitimate, unfree and unfair… We are participating with a heavy heart.” Presidential results are expected to be released five days after the close of poll and if no candidate receives 50% + 1 of valid votes in the first round, a second round will be conducted between the top two candidates on September 11, 2013.

Polls close in harmonised Zimbabwe Elections

Zimbabwe harmonized polls to elect a president, parliamentarians and other sub-national political officers has come to a close with the country’s electoral commission providing an extension of five hours to polling stations where voters are still queuing to vote. Voting which began at 5am GMT saw a larger turnout at most polling stations in the urban areas and has been described by observers to be peaceful, smooth and orderly apart from a general trend of voters being turned away because their names are not in the voters roll or they do not have proper identification or their names are in a different ward. According to SADC and AU observers, the electoral process has been peaceful, smooth so far apart from minor glitches. “So far so good," said Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria who is leading the AU observer mission, after visiting a polling station in Harare and provisionally declared the elections free & fair at the close of the polls. The presidential contest which is mainly between the incumbent President, 89-year-old Robert Mugabe, and current Prime Minister, 61-year-old Morgan Tsvangirai includes three other candidates - Welshman Ncube, leader of the breakaway MDC-Mutambara; Dumiso Dabengwa of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu), and Kisinoti Munodei Mukwazhe, who represents the small Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP). After casting his votes, Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters this is a historic moment for everyone to complete the delayed runoff from 2008. ”I am winning resoundly”. President Mugabe who cast his vote together with his family at Mhofu primary school in Highfield Township, Harare told journalists afterwards that "I will serve five years if I win, I will not cheat my people if they vote for me." Presidential results are expected to be released five days after the close of poll and If no candidate receives 50% + 1 of valid votes in the first round, a second round will be conducted between the top two candidates on September 11, 2013. The elections is the first held under the new constitution approved in a referendum in March this year. AEP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Mali: UN mission welcomes peaceful elections, stresses need to respect results

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has commended the West African country for the peaceful conduct of the first round of its presidential elections, which took place yesterday in an orderly manner. According to a UN spokesperson, “turnout is reported to have been high across the country,” although no official figures have been released yet. The 28 July elections were seen as an important step on the path to recovery for Mali, which, over the past year, witnessed a military coup d'état, renewed fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels, and the seizure of its northern territory by radical Islamists. MINUSMA, which provided security support to the Malian Defence and Security Forces throughout the day, reported excellent cooperation between its members and the Malian forces in the provision of electoral security, and said it would continue to help secure the counting centres. International and national observers were also present in all regions, including the cities of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal, the Mission said. Today, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali, Bert Koenders, together with the heads of the international observer missions and some key ambassadors, met the presidential candidates today to discuss the process and the next steps. “All were reminded of the need to respect the results, and to address any complaints through established legal processes,” the UN spokesperson told reporters in New York. Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Zimbabwe Votes in Harmonised Elections

About 6.4 million registered Zimbabwean voters will tomorrow 31 July elect a president among five candidates which includes the country’s current President, 89-year-old Robert Mugabe, and current Prime Minister, 61-year-old Morgan Tsvangirai as well as elect Parliamentarians and other sub-national political officers. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says it is ready to conduct the elections and has prepared enough ballot papers to cover the 6.4 million registered voters plus an additional 35 percent for contingencies. The 35 percent additional ballots bring the total to about 8.7 million ballot papers and adds that almost all ballot papers has been dispatched to all provinces within Zimbabwe. According to ZEC, a total of 9 735 polling stations will be opened continuously from when voting starts at 7am and closes at 7pm and has employed over 96,000 poll workers with each polling station being serviced by at least 10 polling officials. “We have enough indelible ink in the provinces. We have enough copies of the voters’ roll in the provinces and we have enough men and women as polling officers in the provinces. So with all those basic ingredients in place, we are assured of having an election on 31 July 2013.” Says ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau. This election will be the first harmonized poll under the country's new constitution and for the presidency, the winner is decided by an absolute majority. If no candidate receives 50% + 1 of valid votes in the first round, a second round will be conducted between the top two candidates on September 11, 2013. AEP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Mali, vers le scrutin presidentiel

Ils étaient 28 à solliciter les voix de 6,5 millions d’électeurs inscrits au compte de la présidentielle au Mali. Mais ce dimanche seuls 27 candidats seront en lice pour ce premier tour. Le 28ème étant Tiébilé Dramé qui a dû quitter le navire en dénonçant une défectuosité des conditions de son organisation. Pourtant, selon des sources officielles, déjà 1281 observateurs internationaux ont rallié la capitale Malienne, Bamako et les villes de l’intérieur. Où 3830 autres observateurs locaux étaient déjà actifs sur le terrain de la surveillance électorale. Cependant, les analystes d’International Crisis Group (ICG) ont listé fin juin les obstacles au bon déroulement du scrutin, à savoir : la distribution à temps de nouvelles cartes à 6,9 millions d’électeurs, le redéploiement inachevé de l’administration centrale dans le Nord, l’absence de retour chez eux de 500 000 réfugiés et déplacés ayant fui le conflit et dont la plupart risquent de ne pas pouvoir voter. Les règles de jeux voudraient que si aucun des candidats n’obtenait la majorité absolue, un second tour doit être ténu, le 11 août prochain, entre les deux présidentiables arrivés en tête du premier tour. Ils sont nombreux, ces maliens, à pronostiquer sur un éventuel second tour entre deux candidats qui sortiraient du lot comprenant entre autres Ibrahiam Boubakar Kéïta, 68 ans. Ancien premier ministre de Alpha Oumar Konaré et ancien président du parlement sous Amadou Toumany Touré. Soumaïla Cissé 63 ans, ancien ministre des Finances du président Konaré et ancien président de la Commission de l’Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine. Modibo Sidibé 60 ans ancien premier ministre de Amadou Toumani Touré. Dramane Dembélé 46 ans ingénieur de formation, et Soumana Sacko 63 ans ancien premier ministre sous la transition version Amadou Toumany Touré AEP

Togo elects a new Parliament

About 3.3 million registered Togolese voters will cast ballots today in 7,600 polling stations to select 91 parliamentarians out of about 1,174 contesting candidates from the ruling and opposition parties. This election has been delayed for eight months amid concerns by opposition parties that the poll won’t be transparent and fair and their demand for reforms in the functioning and the structure of the of the electoral commission which the they claim is dominated by persons from the ruling party. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. GMT and will close at 4 p.m. Results are expected to be published by July 26. According to the country’s electoral laws, political parties can appoint members to parliament depending on the share of the votes they get at the polls. AEP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Voter cards distributed in Mali as calm returns after kidnappings

Voter registration cards went out Monday in an atmosphere of calm in the northern Malian town where election officials were briefly kidnapped Saturday, one of the freed workers told AFP. The five poll organisers and a local official had been at the town hall in Tessalit, near the Algerian border, to plan the distribution of the cards for Mali's July 28 presidential election when they were taken by armed men. "Today is calm in Tessalit and distribution of voter cards has begun," said Ishmael Ag Mohamed, one of six kidnapped by the gunmen, who freed the group soon after. Mohamed told AFP they were abducted by the ethnic Tuareg separatist National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). "I recognised not only the car but also the local head of the MNLA," he said. Sunday's polls are seen as vital to reuniting the country after a Tuareg uprising last year led to a military coup and a sweeping offensive by Islamists who captured the entire north before being flushed out by French and African troops. Source: AFP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Togo: parliamentary campaign comes to a close for Thursday polls

Campaign by political parties which started on July 6 for the parliamentary elections in Togo will come to a close at midnight on Tuesday, 24 hours ahead of Thursday’s poll when about three million eligible voters will cast their votes to select 91 parliamentarians. Parliamentary polls were initially due in October 2012, but they have been repeatedly delayed amid protests from the opposition parties demanding reforms in the functioning and the structure of the of the electoral commission which the opposition parties claim is dominated by persons from the ruling party and redistricting constituencies which has long been considered tailored to keep the ruling party in power. According to Agbeyomé Kodjo, one of the leaders of the opposition coalition, the CST group “Save the Togo.” even if transparency is not guaranteed, the opposition must participate in the elections because of the critical issues facing the future assembly two years to the presidential election in 2015. Incumbent President, Faure Gnassingbe's party won 50 of the 81 seats in 2007 elections. 26 political parties participating in this election with observers doubting the opposition's reluctant challenge can loosen the ruling family's 46-year grip on the western African country. AEP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

ECOWAS Observer Mission seeks peaceful legislative polls in Togo

The head of the ECOWAS 80-member Observation Mission to Togo’s 25 July legislative elections, Ambassador Leopold Ouedraogo, has called on all stakeholders, especially political leaders and their followers, to conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure peaceful polls. Speaking shortly after his arrival in Lome on Sunday, Ambassador Ouedraogo, a member of the ECOWAS Council of Wise, said the outcome of the legislative elections would be crucial to the country’s presidential polls in 2015. “We are here as neutral observers to accompany Togo through a peaceful electoral process and in strict adherence to the regional protocol on Democracy and Good Governance,” said Ambassador Ouedraogo, who also led an ECOWAS fact-finding mission to the country last June. He explained that the regional observers would be deployed to all the five regions in Togo to ensure that national and regional electoral rules and regulations were complied with. According to PANA, Lome, the nation’s capital, will serve as the observation coordinating centre for effective monitoring of the electoral process and communication with the regional observers across the country. Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page

Mali Elections: "The Results Must be Respected" - Ban Ki-Moon

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a press briefing in Paris on Monday says that although the presidential election scheduled to take place on July 28 to Mali is "imperfect", "the results must be respected by all parties." "I hope that the presidential election will be held in Mali peacefully in a quiet environment", He added Malians go to the polls on July 28 for the first round of the presidential election, but many key stakeholders and international observers have voiced out their concerns and called for a postponement of the elections to ensure credibility and smooth transition. The decision to hold the first round on 28 July, possibly followed by a second round on August 11, was taken by the Malian transition government under pressure from the international community, particularly France. AEP Get the latest news and updates on elections in Africa by following us on twitter @africanelections and like our facebook page