Zimbabwe presidential election too close to call

July 31 (UPI) -- The first Zimbabwean election not to include former President Robert Mugabe is too close to call, officials said Tuesday.

Election officials are counting ballots and both front-runners await the results.

Incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over after Mugabe's departure, said he had received "extremely positive" information.

Candidate Nelson Chamisa offered a tweet that was similar, saying his party is "resoundingly" winning.

Both men are among 23 candidates in the race. The winner needs more than 50 percent of the vote to win outright and avoid a run-off in September.

The voting started Monday, with long lines forming at polling stations across Zimbabwe. Voters at nearly 11,000 polling stations cast ballots.

Out of Zimbabwe's 5.6 million registered voters, half are under age 35. Voter turnout was high, with as many as 85 percent of registered voters participating.

Mugabe, who led the country from its 1980 independence, was ousted in November after being blamed for ordering violence against his own citizens, squashing free speech and rigging elections.

Full results are expected later this week.