Mugabe rivals to miss out on vote

MANY voters in Zimbabwe’s cities — strongholds of the opposition — may not have time to cast ballots in upcoming elections because too few polling stations have been provided, an independent monitoring group said yesterday.

President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s longtime ruler, is seeking re-election amid an economic meltdown, including rocketing inflation, shortages of most basic goods and collapsing public services.

The independent Zimbabwe Election Support Network said it feared a repeat of the 2002 presidential elections, when tens of thousands of voters were turned away across the country after polls closed.