In Zimbabwe, a record 23 presidential candidates will contest the upcoming elections. The vote is due to take place on the 30th of July. CGTN's Farai Mwakutuya has more on the candidates.

The largest field seen in a presidential election since independence includes President Emmerson Mnangagwa, main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, former Vice President Joice Mujuru and Ambrose Mutinhiri who is running under the Robert Mugabe linked NPF party.

The nomination court vetted and registered presidential, parliamentary and council candidates on Thursday amidst sustained demands for electoral reforms ahead of the July 30 poll.

A coalition of opposition parties led by Chamisa is agitating for transparency about printing and storage of ballot papers and wants an audit of the voters roll.

JAMESON TIMBA MEMBER, MDC ALLIANCE "We have not moved away from our demand surrounding the issue of the ballot paper. We want to know who is printing the ballot paper, where it's being printed and when it has been printed we want to physically see it. If these demands are not met there will be no election and I would like you not to underestimate his resolve and capacity to see through this position."

The justice minister says electoral amendments passed into law ahead of the proclamation of the election date will ensure a fair contest.

ZIYAMBI ZIYAMBI JUSTICE MINISTER, ZIMBABWE "We invited all the political parties represented in parliament, we discussed, we tabled in parliament some of the key issues that we felt were necessary to achieve, a free, fair and credible election and those amendments were passed by parliament, and you can see by the number of contestants, that they believe that the playing field is level. Nobody would rush to enter into a playing field where you know that the rules are not there."

A minimum fifty-one percent majority is required to win the presidential race. If none of the candidates achieve that, a runoff between the top two contestants will take place on September 8th.

About 5.5 million people have registered to vote. FM, CGTN, Harare, Zimbabwe.