A Must Read - 6 Things To Know About Zimbabwe's Elections!

Zimbabweans are heading to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally, faces Nelson Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor.

Zimbabwe holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Monday in which the top two contenders, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, have promised to revive an economy ruined under Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule.

Here are six facts about about the elections:

A Must Read - 6 Things To Know About Zimbabwe's Elections!

1. Zimbabwe has 5.7 million registered voters who are expected to cast their ballots at 10,985 polling stations dotted around the southern African nation.

2. Voters directly elect a president, 210 members of parliament and more than 9,000 councillors.

3. Sixty women will be appointed through proportional representation to the House of Assembly while 60 people will be appointed in the upper Senate chamber via the same system.

4. Voting starts at 7 am (0500 GMT) and ends at 7 pm (1700 GMT). Vote tallying and counting starts immediately after the close of polls and results for council, parliament and president are posted outside each polling station.

5. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) will announce winners for parliament in their constituencies, while results for president will be announced at the commission's headquarters in Harare within five days of voting.

6. A presidential candidate requires 50 percent plus one vote for an outright win. If no candidate gets that, a runoff will be held on September 8 between the top two contestants.

Source - Reuters