Zimbabwe clamps down on poll observers, critics ahead of polls

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A supporter of Zanu-PF holds up an election campaign poster during a rally in Harare, Zimbabwe on August 9, 2023. PHOTO | JEKESAI NJIKIZANA | AFP

Zimbabwe has come under sharp criticism for delaying the accreditation of foreign observers and journalists ahead of Wednesday’s elections, amid a crackdown on government critics.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government has deported at least six foreign researchers back to South Africa and the United Kingdom in the past week after accusing them of trying to interfere with the running of the polls.