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Zimbabwean election authorities on Friday dismissed social media reports alleging irregularities in postal voting currently underway ahead of the July 30 election.

ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba told a meeting of accredited observers and journalists in the capital that postal voting was being done in accordance with the law.

The opposition MDC Alliance had said on Thursday that it was concerned that postal voting by police officers in a police camp in Bulawayo was done secretly as a ploy to rig the upcoming vote in favor of the ruling ZANU-PF.

Chigumba however said there was no role for candidates, political party representatives or observers in postal voting.

“The social media reports that postal voting is being done secretly are regrettable. No postal voting stations will be set up and those qualifying for postal vote are free to vote secretly for candidates of their choice,” Chigumba said.

“We are not obliged by law to set up polling stations for postal voting and both election agents and observers have no role to play in postal voting.”

Zimbabwe is set to conduct a presidential vote on 30 July, the first in which former long-serving leader Robert Mugabe will not take part in.

ZEC acting chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana said a total of 7,600 people had applied for postal voting and of these 185 were not registered to vote.

The Commission was therefore processing 7,461 applications for postal vote. Those who applied came from the police, army, Zimbabwe embassies abroad and election officers, he said.