Voters waited in long lines at polling stations like this one in Harare's Mbare neighborhood (VOA photo - C. McDonough)

The opposition earlier requested the extension, when it became apparent thousands of voters would be unable to cast their ballots by the time polls were due to close Sunday.

 The French news agency AFP quotes the opposition lawyer as saying the government has vowed to appeal the decision. But there has been no independent confirmation of the report. Thousands of urban voters spent long hours in lines on Saturday, the first day of voting, prompting the appeal for the ballot to be extended. Civil rights groups in Harare contend the polling station delays are part of an organized attempt to rig the vote in President Robert Mugabe's favor. The government reduced the number of stations in urban areas, where the opposition is strong, and increased them in the countryside, where President Mugabe is more popular.
 
 

Opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, cast ballots Sunday

 Government officials have repeatedly rejected accusations of intimidation and vote rigging.

 Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is mounting the most serious electoral challenge to President Mugabe during 22 years in power.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters, AP and AFP.

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