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# Zimbabwean voters continue to vote today in the # first general election since the fall of former president # Robert_Mugabe in November after a 37-year rule on fear of fraud which smooths out this historical right.
23 candidates are running, a record number, in the presidential elections, which run parallel to the parliamentary and municipal elections.
The presidential race is taking place in particular between incumbent President Emerson Mengagawa, leader of the party in power since the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, and opposition leader Nelson Shamisa, leader of the Movement for Change. democratic.
At noon, the president of the Electoral Commission, Priscilla Chegumba, declared that "participation is heavy".
Since the early hours of the morning, long ranks have been held in front of several polling stations in Harare. "I'm hoping for a new Zimbabwe that will give equal chances to all," said Lalita Mtito, 30, unemployed. "We have millions of unemployed educated people who suffer from poverty, and only the rich are in a better position," she said.
Paddington Mugie, 30, who sells perfume, called for giving the current president a "chance". "For several months we have been witnessing changes of freedom, we are no longer oppressed as in the Mugabe era," he said.
President Mugabe, 90, led the country with an iron fist for nearly four decades. But he was forced to resign in November by a push from his party and his army, which he refused in due time to be replaced by his ambitious wife Grace Mugabe.
He was replaced by his former assistant Manangwa, who was fired a few weeks ago as vice president. The 75-year-old seeks legitimacy through the ballot box.
Managawa says he's changed his past with the Mugabe regime, promising to restore democracy and revive the faltering economy.
The president voted in his hometown of Kwikwe, in the center of the country, stressing that "the campaign was peaceful, as was the vote".
For his part, Mugabe voted in Harare, refusing to make a statement.
Sunday voters were called, at an unexpected press conference, to overthrow the ruling party. "I hope that the elections tomorrow (Monday) will bring down the military form of the current government," he said. "I can not vote for those who mistreated me," he said, before hinting that he would give his voice to Shamisa, who still opposed his party. .
The opposition Shamisa, 40, voted in the morning in Harare, denying any alliance that he had with the former president.
"I have no doubt that in the end we will have a decisive voice for change and renewal for the young people I represent," he said, raising the issue of possible frauds again. "In rural areas … if the elections are healthy, the victory is certainly for the people," he said.
Although the current president remains the favorite, the difference between him and his main rival has finally been reduced in the polls, Mananggua should receive 40% of the vote against 37% for Shamisa, according to a poll published 10 days ago , "Afroparometer".
During the campaign, the outgoing president promised a "new democracy" and billions of dollars of investment to promote an economy devastated by Mugabe's disastrous reforms.
The country lacks cash, forcing residents to wait hours before banks get a few tens of dollars, while the overwhelming majority of unemployment.
The president also promised to hold free and fair elections, despite the rigging and violence that has always plagued the Mugabe era.
The London-based XX Africa Center said the ruling party should "ensure free and fair elections to attract foreign investment". "But the credibility of the vote remains very worrying," he said.
For its part, the United Nations expressed its concern about what voters could call "intimidation" and "threat of violence". But he also hailed "the expansion of the democratic space in Zimbabwe".
For the first time in 16 years, Westerners were invited to observe the electoral process today. Polling stations are closed at 19:00 (17:00 GMT)
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