The second round of voting in Zimbabwe's general elections has begun since the late leader Robert Mugabe was overthrown in a 2017 coup.

Approximately 6.6 million Zimbabweans have registered to vote in a population of more than 15 million.

In addition to 1,970 local and municipal leaders, Zimbabweans will elect a new president and 210 national lawmakers.

Zimbabweans are voting in presidential and parliamentary elections after a campaign dominated by the country's soaring inflation.

The day has been declared a holiday to give the 6.62 million registered voters a chance to cast a ballot.

Ten candidates, including Nelson Chamisa of the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), are running against President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

For a candidate to win, they must receive more votes than 50% of the total.

A run-off election for president will be held on October 2 if there is no clear winner.

It is the first election since the passing of Robert Mugabe, who for many years ruled Zimbabwean politics and the country's dominant Zanu-PF party.

Nearly two years after being overthrown by the military and replaced by Mr. Mnangagwa, he passed away in 2019.

Polling stations opened at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and voters are also choosing local councillors.

Election officials were establishing polling places in the capital city of Harare ahead of election day and removing political posters that were nearby to comply with electoral laws.

According to police chief Godwin Matanga, police have been stationed all over the nation to uphold order, and prison guards will increase their numbers.

He insisted that despite a few skirmishes, the time leading up to the election had been largely peaceful.

Opposition parties claim that an excessive amount of their rallies were either prohibited by the police or interfered with.

Violence earlier in the month resulted in the death of one CCC supporter. 15 suspects have been detained by the police in relation to the case.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has warned people not to wear nail varnish or nail extensions on their left pinkie finger, which will be marked with indelible ink after voting.

Monitoring organisations have voiced concerns about alleged irregularities on the voter list, alleging that some names have been transferred from their usual voting locations to other areas.

Boundary changes made at the last minute have also drawn criticism, as voters might not be aware that their designated polling location has changed.

Mr. Mnangagwa, who is running for re-election, is eager to have the vote approved internationally so that Zimbabwe's foreign debt can be restructured and possibly new lines of credit that have been frozen for more than 20 years can be opened.

He has had difficulty controlling the inflationary roller coaster, which peaked in the single digits in late 2017. Annual inflation peaked at 176% in June, according to data released this week, but has since dropped to 77.2% from 101.3% in July.

With a mining boom and significant investments in infrastructure, Zanu-PF claimed that the president's work speaks for itself and that no manifesto was necessary.

However, the CCC claims that the average person has not benefited, as one in four Zimbabweans no longer has a regular job. Mr Chamisa says he plans to scrap the volatile local currency if he wins.

Polls close at 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT). The presidential results are due within five days.