REUTERS - A Zimbabwean election observer group said on Tuesday there were concerns about the independence of the country’s election commission in the run-up to the July 30 vote but noted the election was handled better than in previous years.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, which groups civic society bodies, was monitoring the election where Zimbabweans cast their ballots in the first ever vote since long-term ruler Robert Mugabe was forced to resign after a coup last November.