ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: Reports of violence and intimidation have not kept Zimbabweans from casting their votes in their country's parliamentary elections. Zimbabwe's ruling party is facing one of its biggest political challenges in decades. CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault tells us how it's going.</s>CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Turnout in this election was extremely high. I think many people were in fact surprised by the fact that so many people were at their polling places, even before the polling places opened. Some people are saying this is a historic turnout, mainly because it's the first credible opposition that this government has had since independence 20 years ago, the first time the ruling Zanu Pief (ph) Party has been challenged in this way. The challenger being the movement for Democratic change, headed by Morgan Tsvangirai, a former trade union leader. Of course President Mugabe has made land reform the centerpiece of his campaign. But there are many other issues on the minds of Zimbabweans, not least being economic reform. This country is spiraling downward on the economic front, so much so that even reporters were asked to pay a hundred dollars per person to register to cover this election to help cover the deficit here. Voters are the expected to turn out tomorrow again in strong numbers. The election will close tomorrow evening. Election results are expected Monday night. Charlayne Hunter-Gault, CNN, Harare, CNN, Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe's Ruling Party Facing One of Its Biggest Political Challenges in Decades