In Murehwa, in the province of Mashonaland East, many voters did just that. After a full night of being forced to chant the slogans of Mr. Mugabe’s party, ZANU-PF, they were taken to the polls in groups of five, said a teacher who described the events. He was too afraid to provide his name.

Image Residents of Mbare lined up to cast their vote in the country's presidential election at a polling station in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Friday. Credit... Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Associated Press

“In each group there was a leader who would record the serial number on the ballot so they could detect who you voted for,” he said, because Mr. Tsvangirai withdrew too late to have his name removed from the ballot.

Many voters were desperate for the protection offered by a pinky finger dipped in red ink, evidence that they had voted.

“I just wanted the ink for security reasons,” said MacDonald, 33, a man who voted in a ramshackle Harare suburb and did not want his comments accompanied by his last name. “I fear victimization from the ZANU-PF militia. It is obvious they will come door to door. If they see you do not have the red ink, they will know you are for the opposition.”

Friday’s election, denounced as a sham by many leaders across Africa and throughout the world, was a woeful event in a woebegone nation, afflicted by sinister violence and an economy that has plunged most everyone into penury. The vote was a marked contrast to the election that took place here in March, when optimism tinged the air and people stood in long lines, chatting and joking, welcoming the chance to partake in democracy.