- BEIT BRIDGE, SOUTH
AFRICA - Zimbabweans intent on casting their ballots Sunday in the
country's most hotly contested presidential elections ever spent the night
lined up outside polling stations.
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- The long lines that marked the first day of voting on
Saturday remained through the night. Some polling stations were kept open
late into the night, some all night.
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- Others, which had no electricity, were closed for the
night. But the lineups remained and were still in place when the polls
opened again in the morning.
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- Some people who arrived at the polling stations early
on Saturday wrapped themselves in blankets, built fires and shared tea.
They said they were determined to vote in the election.
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- Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who is presenting
President Robert Mugabe with the first real challenge to his 22-year rule,
called for an extra day of voting.
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- "We want to make sure that everyone votes, and that's
our intention," Tsvangirai said on Sunday, after casting his own ballot.
"Especially in Harare, there is massive turnout. It has been a very
impressive turnout, and we hope that that is a reflection of the mood of
the country."
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- Commonwealth election monitors also called for more time,
two extra days.
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- The lines of voters appeared to move more quickly on
Sunday, and the crowds seemed more orderly after police ordered men and
women to stand separately in single-file lines.
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- Tempers flared Saturday in lineups kilometres long at
some stations, with at least one clash with police who fired tear gas and
rubber bullets.
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- The slow pace and congestion are the result of too many
voters for the number of stations, observers said. The number of stations
in urban centres was cut in half just before voting began.
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- Tsvangirai's strength is greatest in the cities.
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- The campaign was marred by violence and intimidation,
both of which continued during the voting, civic groups and opposition
supporters said.
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- Witnesses reported supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party
took over two polling stations and stole voting materials from a third.
At another station, ballots were reportedly delivered already marked for
Mugabe.
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- Written by CBC News Online staff
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- http://cbc.ca/stories/2002/03/10/zimbabwe_vote020310
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