While observers wade through the mist of Zimbabwe's election, Harare resident Obert Murinda, like countless other Zimbabweans, is clear about what he wants from Wednesday's poll.

"Jobs and peace. Those are the two things I wish for," said the 38-year-old who sells mobile phone spares and DVDs in a market stall.

"My prayer is that there is peace after the elections and the economy starts functioning normally again.

"We want to work for our families, and we don't want to fight."

During President Robert Mugabe's 33-year rule, Zimbabwe's economy has repeatedly stalled.

The last decade has been particularly painful.

Inflation hit up to 231 million percent - some of the highest levels ever recorded -and unemployment peaked at 94 percent.

Zimbabweans who were lucky enough to still have jobs found their wages were worthless, which almost didn't matter because shops had no stock anyway.

At the height of Zimbabwe's economic crisis in 2007, Murinda was one of millions who lost his job.

He was a salesman with a leading wholesaler but when business plummeted, his employer laid off more than half of the staff. He has been unable to find another job since, even with a marketing diploma and six years' experience.

Many college graduates have been in the same bind, and countless professionals have become informal traders struggling to eke out a living.

Many of them pin their hopes on whatever comes after the elections.

"Whoever comes must have young blood and fix the economy," said Chenjerai Chiripanyanga, a sculptor in Harare.

A noted artist, Chiripanyanya used to do a roaring business selling soapstone carvings and he also traveled overseas on training stints.

Now he spends the better part of his work hours polishing art pieces gathering dust in a garden along the road to the main airport, where he plies his trade.

"When things were normal, we would get up to 18 customers on a good day and these were mainly tourists coming from Europe. Now I consider it a good month when I get more than three buyers."

"So I don't care who wins, but they must fix the economy and make sure we are on good terms again with our old friends we used to trade with."

Many hope the violence that swept across the country, leaving scores dead and thousands displaced, at the last elections in 2008, does not happen again.

"I hope there will not be a runoff again this time around," said Casper Tachiona, a cellphone airtime vendor in the city center.

"We don't want to go in that direction again. We want peace after this election and to go back to our normal lives."

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 08/01/2013 page12)