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HARARE-Zimbabweans began voting on Saturday in the most crucial election since independence from Britain in 1980, with veteran President Robert Mugabe facing the biggest challenge of his 28-year-rule.Voting began at 0706 a.m. (1:06 a.m. EDT) and was scheduled to end 12 hours later.With the once-prosperous nation's economy in ruins, former guerrilla leader Mugabe must defeat a formidable two-pronged attack from veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ruling party defector Simba Makoni.His two rivals believe they can finally end Mugabe's iron rule because of an economic meltdown that has reduced most of the population to misery, including those in his traditional rural strongholds.Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, now suffers the world's worst inflation at 100,000 percent, a rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic that has contributed to a radical reduction in life expectancy, a virtually worthless currency and chronic shortages of food and fuel.But few analysts are prepared to count Mugabe out.They say he has maintained a tight grip on power through a combination of ruthless security crackdowns, intimidation of ruling party rivals and an elaborate patronage system. A split opposition may also favor Mugabe.Supporters both inside the country and elsewhere in Africa still revere him as the last of the liberation heroes.To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah....
