Zimbabweans optimistic as they head for the polls

Zimbabweans will vote for their new leader today - Reuters

Most Zimbabweans say today's election will help end days of hunger and open up opportunities for ordinary people. The much awaited historic combined elections in Zimbabwe gets underway shortly. All polling stations across the country's nine provices will open at exactly 7am.

Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission has deployed 90 000 electoral officers to almost nine-thousand voting stations. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson George Chiweshe has admitted that the voters' roll is not perfect but maintains that it is credible.

Chiweshe was responding to the question of registered ghost voters on the voters' roll at last night's media and observer mission briefing, on the eve of the country's elections. Chiweshe says voters' rolls around the world are not perfect.