At least 12 people were injured today when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at impatient voters trying to force their way into a polling station in Zimbabwe's presidential election, officials said.
One electoral official in the western Harare township of Kuwadzana said: "The riot police came after some of the crowd tried to force their way into the polling station in protest at the slow voting."
Witnesses said two people beaten by police had head wounds, which were treated on the scene while others were hurt by police whips. None of the injured were taken to hospital.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change charged that President Robert Mugabe's election officials were deliberately slowing down voting in the MDC's urban strongholds to undermine the vote against him.
Tens of thousands of people were still queuing at polling stations in Harare at mid-afternoon, 10 hours after polling began.