Zimbabwean authorities have apprehended 41 election monitors on allegations of attempting to disrupt the voting process.

These individuals, associated with civil society organizations, are accused of coordinating the premature release of results from the recent general election held on Wednesday. The charges they face involve violating electoral law, as outlined by their legal representatives.

Civil society groups have previously sought to independently tally votes, aiming to compare their results with the official count due to past disputes over election outcomes. The detained group of 41 is being accused of attempting to announce results ahead of the state elections body, which is legally authorized to declare a winner.

In a prior statement, the chairperson of the state elections body, Priscilla Chigumba, had encouraged civil society groups to establish their own parallel tabulation processes to promote transparency and thorough review.

Authorities conducted raids and arrests in Harare, the capital city, including at a hotel and the premises of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network and the Election Resource Centre, where the detained individuals were employed.

Initially, lawyers reported receiving distress calls from their clients, expressing concern over their whereabouts. However, access to their clients was later granted.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi stated that 38 laptop computers and 93 phones were confiscated from the offices. He emphasized that any disruptions during the election would be dealt with firmly.

A statement from the police explained why the devices were confiscated: "The equipment was being used to unlawfully tabulate election voting statistics and results from polling stations throughout the country."

The arrests have been strongly condemned by NGOs who said it was a "ploy by the state to target civil society organizations and ultimately silence their voice on the 2023 elections".

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition also called for the unconditional release of the detained poll monitors.

On Wednesday, Zimbabweans went to the polls to elect a president, members of parliament, and local councilors.

The arrests came as voting was extended to a second day in three provinces of the country due to delays on Wednesday.

In Harare, only a quarter of polling stations opened on time because of problems with ballot papers. In some areas, ballot papers ran out, forcing voters to wait late into the night.

The electoral commission blamed last-minute court challenges for the late arrival of council election ballot papers.

Meanwhile, the leader of the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Nelson Chamisa accused the authorities of "voter suppression".

Vote counting is underway and election officials have five days to declare the results of the presidential election.

In 2018, Mr. Chamisa was unsuccessful in his legal bid to overturn the results from that year's election, which he described as a "coup against [the people's] will".

Official results showed that he took a 44% share of the vote in the presidential election - the incumbent, Emmerson Mnangagwa, won with 51%.

This week's vote was the second time the two men have faced each other in a race for the top job.

Thanks for the news update.

Noted