ADDIS ABABA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Commission Department of Political Affairs announced on Thursday it has deployed a five-person independent electoral assistance mission in Zimbabwe, as the country gears up for presidential, parliamentary and local elections on July 30.

In a press statement, AU said the mission in Zimbabwe was deployed on June 15 and will stay until July 8, to provide technical support to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

AU said the mission was deployed in response to the request for technical assistance made by the ZEC during the visit to Zimbabwe by AU Commissioner Moussa Faki Mahamat in February 2018.

The statement further said the AU independent electoral assessment mission in Zimbabwe will help the country build capacity on various aspects of electoral operations such as training in management of polling processes.

A total of 23 candidates have registered to contest the presidential election, the highest number since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.