Polls opened on Monday in Zimbabwe’s first election since the removal of former president Robert Mugabe, a watershed vote Zimbabweans hope will rid the country of its global pariah status and spark a recovery in its failed economy.

The election will see 75-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally, face 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who is vying to become Zimbabwe’s youngest head of state.

Voting began at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will end at 7 p.m.

It is unclear how the intervention will influence the close contest. Most opinion polls are predicting a very close contest between current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and young challenger, Nelson Chamisa.

Mugabe’s call to vote out what he described as an “unconstitutional and illegal” government may win over some voters, but put off others.