Zimbabwe votes in first post-Mugabe ballot [The Morning Call]

Its d-day in Zimbabwe as the country votes in an election that is the first after the ouster of Robert Mugabe, the only leader the country has had since its independence from British colonial rule in 1980. Mugabe was ousted from power by the military in November.

In this election, there are 23 candidates on the presidential ballot and 55 parties contesting the parliamentary vote. But the real contest observers note is between President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s former ally in the ruling ZANU-PF party, and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change MDC.

More than 5 million people have re-registered to a new voters’ roll. But the opposition MDC party says it is inaccurate and has names of people who are underage or even dead.