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African Press Review 31 July 2018

Zimbabwe awaits the verdict of the landmark July 30 vote to end Robert Mugabe's 37- year rule.

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The Chronicle reports that Zimbabweans took to the poll by the millions with most polling stations recording an average turnout of 75 percent. The paper says the polls were conducted in a peaceful manner and most polling stations opened on time, relaying a statement from Justice Priscilla Chigumba, Zimbabwe elections chief.

The State-owned Herald says the 22 contenders in the Presidential race expressed confidence about springing surprises to unseat President Mnangagwa of the ruling Zanu-PF party.

The paper also reports that after casting his vote in his home constituency of Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe, President Mnangagwa appealed to voters to make the process an epitome of the peace prevailing in the country.

The Standard for its part reports that foreign observers have hailed the election as an opportunity for Zimbabwe to break with its repressive past, welcoming what it describes as the fresh air of optimism experience during the process which contrasts with the nervousness its reporters witnessed while covering previous Zimbabwean elections.

Kenya's Daily Nation was at a Harare polling Station, where ousted President Robert Mugabe voted. The newspaper the 94 year-old was greeted with cheers after casting his ballot, but did not answer journalists' questions about who he voted for. This, after an angry appeal on Sunday to his supporters to reject the ruling ZANU-PF party which he founded.

The paper says that with 5.6 million registered voters, the results of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are due by August 4 with a possible run-off scheduled for September 8, if no presidential candidate wins at least 50 percent.

In nearby South Africa, the Sowetan spoke to Elton Mangoma‚ the presidential candidate of the Coalition for Democrats‚ after he cast his vote at a Harare suburb on Monday.

The former energy minister‚ and former treasurer general of the MDC when it was led by Morgan Tsvangirai says Zanu-PF removed Mugabe‚ now it was the people's turn to remove Zanu-PF’ from power.

And in Uganda, Daily Monitor, leads with the angry reaction of President Yuweri Museveni to a ruling by judges of the Constitutional Court nullifying the extension of the term of Parliament from five years to seven and described their decision as an “undemocratic age limit nonsense” which focuses on form and procedure rather than substance.

According to the paper, the President also warned the judges that they are not the ones in charge of the country, adding that he and his NRM party MPs will “harmonize and galvanize” their position on the matter.

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