Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday in its first election since authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe was ousted last year, with allegations mounting of voter fraud and predictions of a disputed result.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former ally in the ruling ZANU-PF party, faces opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) in a landmark vote for the southern African nation.
The two rivals held large final rallies in Harare today in a last push to attract voters, with both predicting certain victory.
Zimbabwe's military generals shocked the world in November when they seized control and ushered Mnangagwa to power, ending Mugabe's 37-year reign in a few short days.
Mnangagwa, 75, who promises a fresh start for the country, is the front-runner with the advantage of covert military support, a loyal state media and a ruling party that controls government resources.
But Chamisa, 40, who has performed strongly on the campaign trail, hopes to tap into a young population that could vote for change as ZANU-PF has ruled since the country's independence from British colonial rule in 1980.
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Elections under Mugabe were marred by fraud and violence, and this year's campaign has been dominated by accusations that the vote will be rigged.
The MDC has raised allegations of a flawed electoral roll, ballot paper malpractice, voter intimidation, bias in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and free food handed out by the ruling party.
But campaigning has been relatively unrestricted and peaceful compared with previous elections, and some analysts point to pressure for the vote to be judged credible to draw a line under the international isolation of the Mugabe era.
"The international community is looking for an election that will provide sufficient excuse to re-engage with Zimbabwe," said Showers Mawowa, an analyst at the Southern African Liaison Office rights advocacy group.
"There are a lot of political and economic interests at play that are converging around the prioritisation of stability."
"Post-election violence might be a possibility, with the opposition making it clear that they are not going to accept an outcome that they would have not won."
"We need to see jobs," said Rest Maphosa, one resident of the capital Harare. "I will be patient even if it takes me eight hours standing in the queue, because what I want is to vote."