Its “election eve”; and Zimbabwe is abuzz. Text messages have been flying all week, and almost every conversation has turned to elections. I have just been listening to an election official explaining all the reasons that “rigging” is not possible, and I find that for the first time I am worried, rather than excited. It’s a little like the night before a major exam that you have taken before: what if I fail again?

Because a lot of people had that awful sinking feeling in 2002… In fact, I have met a few people who will not bother to vote this time. It was terrible; people queued for hours to make a difference, and then waited with pen and paper as the results for each constituency were announced…. And only towards the end was it clear that the opposition had lost. There was so much despondency afterwards… And no one wants a repeat of that.

But however the election goes, this is a historic election for Zimbabwe. As I was saying to a friend, this feels surprisingly like democracy. The campaigns have been pretty unrestricted, and it’s the first time we have had THREE strong candidates (well there is a fourth one, but… anyway). It’s also the first election since independence when people feel there is a real chance that change will happen. AND there has been no violence, this time, either. What there is, is hope.

I am thrilled just to be here when this is happening. I will be at the polling station at 5 am (the stations open at 7), to make sure I exercise my right to vote… And I will be biting my nails until we know the result.

Yup, this feels a LOT like democracy…