Voting is underway for security personnel and officials who will be on duty and supervising the crucial Zimbabwe harmonized elections slated for July 31.

The state electoral commission says 69 000 police officers, 2 000 prison officers, 164 soldiers and thousands of election officials are taking part in a two-day special vote exercise which started on Sunday.

Reports from the field say the voting so far is fraught with chaos in many of the polling stations as voting materials were not delivered on time, some polling stations are still waiting for the materials to be delivered and voting had not started at all elsewhere in Harare and provincial centers. At one Harare voting post, police officers waiting in line pushed each other in impatience at long delays.

In 2008, police, soldiers and prison officials were forced to vote in front of their superiors in barracks and camps, but are now casting ballots in public polling centres monitored by all political parties and foreign observers.

AEP

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