The elections in Zimbabwe have begun today with President Mugabe vowing to crush his weakened opponents. However, the elections have already drawn controversy after both Europe and the US have questioned the legitimacy of the polls.

Polls opened at 7am local time and many voters were immediately seen coming out to polling stations to vote.

However, it was also not long before the first signs of trouble appeared as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said one of its candidates in Matabeleland, south Zimbabwe had disappeared after a surprise attack by ruling party supporters on the eve of the poll.

The MDC Secretary-General Pius Ncube reported, "He last contacted us at around 7 p.m. last night saying they were under attack. He said ZANU-PF have started beating up people. Up to now we have had no contact from him."

However, despite this attack the violence seen thus far has been noticeably lower on this occasion than in the previous elections of 2000 and 2002. The MDC have indicated though, that its supporters have been intimidated and that they believe that the entire voting process will be horribly distorted to favour the in-power ZANU-PF party via military assistance and media laws.

Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980, and since then Mugabe has been in power. Currently Mugabe has said that a big win for the ZANU-PF party would be a vote for Zimbabwe’s sovereignty in its confrontation with Britain, US and a host of Western powers opposed to his rule.

Loyalists were told by Mugabe on Wednesday that the polls would be fair and he urged voters not to back the MDC, whom he says is merely a puppet for British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mugabe predicted a huge victory for the ZANU-PD, and many have predicted that this will be the outcome – but only because of foul play by restricting a fair and honest voting process.

MDC leader, Morgan Tsyangirai said today, "Well, the dye is cast. The people will speak and I am hoping that the outcome will be an MDC victory. Change is on the way. Change has been on the way since 2000." Tsyangirai was referring to a previous parliamentary vote when the MDC managed to gain almost half of the seats that were contested.

Earlier in the week, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube criticised Mugabe and the elections and called for the people to rise up and show themselves by their vote in the elections. However, he worried: "We do not have a leader to lead us. We need someone who is courageous. People must be ready even to risk losing their lives; everyone wants to keep safe."

In response, President Mugabe called the Archbishop a "half-wit" and said, "I don’t know to which God he prays. His prayers are not as pious as his name suggests apparently. He is...a half-wit. I don’t know why the Vatican tolerates prayers of that nature."

The EU has condemned the election as "phoney" and has given a stark warning that it is considering taking unspecified steps against Zimbabwe after the polls take place.

Since Mugabe has led Zimbabwe the country has seen a huge economic collapse and Mugabe has refused to admit that his mismanagement is to blame for the problems. He instead has said that his Western and domestic opponents have consistently sabotaged his efforts.

Zimbabwe has a population of about 12.6 million, and from these just 5.9 million have been put on the register to vote. However, many critics have said that the number has been artificially inflated by the government by about a million so that ZANU-PF can gain victory.

The results of the election should be given out within 48 hours of the polls closing.