A high-stakes election is just hours from starting in Zimbabwe where 6.6 million voters will make a decision, hoping to turn around the country's lengthy economic crisis.
Whereas there are 11 presidential candidates, observers say that the race would be tight between the incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa and vocal opposition politician Nelson Chamisa.
Mnangagwa is seeking re-election on Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) party ticket, while Chamisa will run on the Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) ticket.
The opposition is hoping to wrench power from ZANU-PF, which has been in power since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.
Robert Mugabe, who took over the country's leadership since the departure of the colonial rulers, stayed in power for 37 years, until his ouster in 2017.
He was replaced by his long-time ally turned foe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who many hoped would deliver an economic turnaround for a country grappling with high inflation.
Economic woes
Mnangagwa succeeded Mugabe the following year (2018), securing a wafer-thin majority of 50.8%. The opposition disputed the results, but the Constitutional Court upheld Mnangagwa's win.
Chamisa,45, is hoping he can defy the odds and win this time around, riding on frustrations over the decades-long economic crisis in Zimbabwe.
Political analysts say young voters who have never known a prosperous Zimbabwe could play a significant role in the election. A sixth of the registered voters will be taking part in the polls for the first time.
Mnangagwa blames economic sanctions imposed on his country for the enduring economic turmoil. His supporters credit him for infrastructure projects, including building schools, bridges and repairing roads.
The Zimbabwean voter will decide who to give the next chance to turn around the country's fortunes.
