Most polling stations in the capital Harare reported a high turnout with thousands of voters queuing since before dawn to participate in the most hotly contested election ever held in Zimbabwe.

"I left my home before four this morning, and still I am not the first line," said Webster Munyaradzi, who was about the 20th person in line when the poll opened at a primary school in Harare South constituency.

Munyaradzi's story was typical. In Harare's densely populated shantytowns, voters also began arriving at 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), despite the polling stations not opening until three hours later.

"We shall wait no matter how long it takes. We are here to be part of history in the making," said Tim Chigodo, a voter patiently standing in a long queue in the capital's Kuwadzana constituency.

"I am desperate to vote. That is why I am standing here. I am desperate to change," one man in the line said, asking not to be identified.

Although this is Zimbabwe's largest ever exercise in democracy, voting seemed to be going calmly around the capital. The police authorities said that apart from some minor skirmishes, the situation in Harare is generally peaceful.

Five candidates are in the running in the presidential race. However, analysts said the race has come down to two men -- Robert Mugabe of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The 78-year-old Mugabe, who is seeking another six-year term as president, voiced confidence in the election outcome as he cast his vote at a primary school in Highfield, a suburb of the capital.

"I will accept it, more than accept it, because I will have won, " he said.

During his election campaigns, the veteran leader had urged Zimbabweans to vote him for another term so as to enable him to speed up the land reform in their interests and to maintain the national independence for a bright and prosperous future.

In his counterattack, Tsvangirai, a professional trade union leader who will celebrate his 50th birthday on Sunday, challenged Mugabe by advocating change for democracy and economic development among his supporters, who are mostly urban workers, middle class and peasants.

The opposition leader had focused his campaign activities on the serious economic situation in the country, pledging that he will implement economic stabilization and recovery plan to halt the country from plunging into deeper recession.

He told voters it was better to join one long queue now and decide their future than to continue to queue for mealie meal -- a staple food in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has more than 5.6 million registered voters who will vote at the 4,712 polling stations spread throughout the country. More people will go to the polls on Sunday to choose their future.

(People's Daily March 10, 2002)