On Tuesday, incumbent Robert Mugabe said he would resign after 33
years in power if he loses.
His remarks came as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party accused Zanu-PF of doctoring the
electoral roll. Zanu-PF denied the accusation.
Campaigning has been peaceful, with no reports of violence or intimidation.
The last presidential poll five years ago were overshadowed by myriad
problems, including violence.
Voting begins at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and close at 19:00 (17:00 GMT),
with results expected within five days.
The situation has been relatively calm ahead of the poll, with most
bars in the capital Harare full on Tuesday night, given that Wednesday
was declared a holiday to allow for voting, the BBC's Brian Hungwe
reports from Harare.
Amongst the topics discussed by Harareans on the eve of the poll was
the conduct of parties before the elections, and the political
implications of victory or defeat for Mr Mugabe, our correspondent
adds.
A large turn out is expected, given the tens of thousands of people
who have gone to rallies staged by the candidates in recent weeks.
Jovial mood
Zanu-PF responded to the allegations surrounding the electoral roll by
saying it was the responsibility of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(Zec), which released the roll only on the eve of polls.
A Zanu-PF spokesman pointed out that appointees from both parties are
on the commission and accused the MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti of
not funding Zec properly.
Zec has not commented on the allegations.
A BBC correspondent who saw the electoral roll seen the document and
says it features the names of thousands of dead people.
Some names also appear twice or three times with variations to their
ID numbers or home address.
The two long-time rivals have been sharing power since 2009, under a
deal brokered by the regional bloc to end conflict that marred
elections in 2008.
At a press conference at State House in the capital, Harare, Mr Mugabe
told journalists that he and Mr Tsvangirai had learnt to work together
and could even share a pot of tea.
Responding to a question from the BBC, the president, who was in a
jovial mood, said he would step down if he lost and insisted that
there had been "no cheating".
But the MDC has said the electoral roll released on Tuesday by Zec
dates back to 1985 and is full of anomalies.
Three other candidates are also standing for president and voters will
also be electing news members of parliament.
Bulawayo-based journalist Thabo Kunene told the BBC that many
Zimbabweans have been returning home from South Africa to vote.
Taxis and buses carrying the exiles continued to arrive in the
southern city on Tuesday afternoon, he said.
In Bulawayo's oldest township of Makhokhoba, MDC and Zanu-PF campaign
teams met amicably at one house during their door-to-door campaign -
waving each other's flags - a sign that some Zimbabweans have matured
and no longer believed in violence, he added.
In 2008, Mr Tsvangirai pulled out of run-off vote, accusing pro-Mugabe
militias and the security forces of attacking his supporters after he
gained most votes in the first round.
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