South Africans began voting today in the country's third democratic elections, which opinion polls say will deliver another big victory for the ruling African National Congress.
Long queues formed outside polling stations as voting began at 6 am (Irish time). Officials predict a good turnout among almost 21 million registered voters before polls close at 7pm, with results expected tomorrow.
Opinion surveys say President Thabo Mbeki's ANC, which under Mr Nelson Mandela led South Africa from apartheid to democracy in 1994, is likely to score another big victory with as much as two-thirds of the national vote.
