Counting of ballots has started at some Zimbabwean polling stations in the capital Harare under tents that were used temporarily by electoral officers that are now relying on candle light and gas to do their work.

Earlier the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said since the electorates are voting in large numbers, those who are already in queues will not be turned away and will be allowed to vote past 7pm official closing time of the poll.

The fiercely contested election is pitting veteran President Robert Mugabe against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Both sides are forecasting landslide wins with President Mugabe saying he will concede if defeated.

It’s been largely peaceful, however, the opposition party, the MDC has made startling claims of duplicate ballots printed, high numbers of voters turned away and fake prints of registration receipts.

The ZEC has a tight deadline by law it has to release the results within five days.