Social media abuzz with excitement over Zimbabwe election




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HARARE – Social media users were abuzz with excitement as Zimbabwe held its first election without former president Robert Mugabe appearing on the ballot.

The elections hugely went ahead without any major incident except a few that were reported by the country’s main opposition party and the head of the European observer mission in the country.

The head of the European Union mission monitoring Zimbabwe’s elections says his team has seen “huge differences” in the pace of voting at polling stations, reported the Associated Press.

Elmar Brok has said that voters at one location waited less than an hour to cast their ballots while others at a nearby station waited more than half the day.

“In some cases, it works very smoothly,” Brok said. “But in others, we see that it’s totally disorganised and that people become angry, that people leave.”

Earlier on Monday, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa said voting delays were a “deliberate attempt” to undermine his supporters in the election.

The allegations by Chamisa intensified concerns about management of the election and the prospect of a dispute over its outcome.

According to News24, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said it is worried about alleged voter delays in Zimbabwe’s urban cities, adding that this could create election credibility problems.

ICG senior consultant, Piers Pigou, said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should encourage a more speedily voting process across the southern African country.

The voting turnout was high and, in a break from the past, peaceful.

Expressing their views on the elections, some social media users said they were happy with how the election was conducted, while others seemed concerned with the election processes.