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Leaked documents have revealed that nine million ballot papers had been ordered for the 5.9 million people registered to vote in Zimbabwe, sparking accusations that Robert Mugabe is planning on rigging Saturday's presidential and legislative elections.
The Age reports that the documents were leaked from Fidelity Printers, producers of the nation's banknotes.
The secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Tendai Biti, said the documents also showed that 600,000 postal ballot papers had been requisitioned for a few thousand soldiers, police and civil servants away from their home districts and for diplomats and their families abroad.
At least 4 million Zimbabweans who live out of the country, mostly fugitives from the nation's economic meltdown and political exiles, are not permitted to vote by mail.
Mr Biti feared that President Robert Mugabe already had victory "in the bag," but said the credibility gap would be huge if he steals the election.
He said Mr Mugabe was likely to be forced out of office in coming weeks by the deepening economic crisis and shortage of basic public services.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has not yet responded to the opposition allegations, while Western nations have been barred from sending observers for the election.
Mr Mugabe's 28-year hold on power faces a serious test from a resurgent MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is campaigning on a platform of ending a severe economic crisis that has ravaged the country.
(c) NewsRoom 2008
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