Opposition storms Zimbabwe police post amid early voting
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Opposition supporters have stormed a police camp in Zimbabwe where officers were voting ahead of this month’s historic election without election officials present.
The chaotic scenes circulating on social media have alarmed some in a country whose new president has pledged to break with the past of elections marked by allegations of fraud and violence.
Police and soldiers who will be on duty during the July 30 election are allowed to vote earlier, but the process has faced vote-rigging allegations, with officers allegedly forced to support the ruling party while commanders watch. And Zimbabwe’s elections schedule says the early voting should take place July 22.
The Zimbabwe election commission’s chief officer, Utloile Silaigwana, at first denied Thursday’s voting took place, dismissing reports as “hogwash,” then reversed himself after police acknowledged some officers were voting.