Voting begins in Zimbabwe's general elections

Voting for presidential, legislative and municipal elections began at 7 am and soon queues had formed in front of many polling stations in the capital Harare and other parts of the country.

Voters have until 7 pm to vote across 10,985 polling stations in the country.

The two main presidential candidates are the incumbent president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the candidate of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, and Nelson Chamisa, who leads the opposition coalition Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai.

Latest opinion polls have shown a 3-percentage-point lead for Mnangagwa over Chamisa.

If the winner does not secure more than 50 percent of the votes, the second round of elections would be held on Sep. 8.

The elections are marked by the return of international observers - from the European Union, the United States and the Commonwealth - after three and a half decades, as the Mnangagwa-led government seeks legitimacy from the international community after years of isolation and a belligerent foreign policy adopted by Mugabe.

Mnangagwa has promised free, fair and credible elections, but Chamisa has repeatedly questioned the Electoral Commission, accusing it of favoring ZANU-PF.

In the last few days of the campaign, the MDC leader said he was sure of victory, adding that a result which declared Mnangagwa winner would not be just.

Although Mugabe is not a candidate, he broke months of silence on Sunday to declare that he would not vote for ZANU-PF, the party he founded, by implication announcing a wish to vote for the MDC.