Zimbabweans begin voting on new constitution But he was forced into a power-sharing government in 2008 after losing presidential elections to Morgan Tsvangirai, the Movement for Democratic Change leader. Still in the presidential office at the age of 89, Mr Mugabe is now Africa's oldest leader. If accepted by Zimbabwe's populace as expected, the new constitution will pave the way for fresh elections in July this year to bring an end to the fractious coalition, in which Mr Tsvangirai serves as Prime Minister and the MDC runs several ministries including finance, education and health. The draft was worked out by all the main parties, who are all pushing for a "yes" vote. If passed, it will limit presidential powers and terms in office, create a Human Rights Commission and in theory make it harder for the country's security services to harass, detain and torture people. But the limit on terms in office will not apply to Mr Mugabe, and clauses on social issues outlaw gay marriage and retain the death penalty. Mr Mudadenge said ending bloodshed was his greatest wish. "I hope this will mean an end to Zanu PF violence and that the police will not be so corrupt and harsh, but I know we are having elections this year and I hope there is no trouble like last time," he said. An emotional Tendai Biti, the MDC Finance Minister arriving at the polling both this morning to cast his "yes" vote, described it as "the most important moment of my life so far, apart from becoming a parent." He said that the new constitution represented "a u-turn to the current trajectory of chaos." Welshman Ncube, leader of a splinter formation of the MDC and one of Zimbabwe's few constitutional lawyers, dismissed criticisms that the new constitution was too much of a compromise between the parties. "We should never allow a utopian quest for the perfect constitution to be the enemy of a good constitution and there has never been a perfect constitution in the world," he said. Those who failed to vote for the new constitution were condemning Zimbabwe to live under the heavily-amended old charter. "In what conceivable way can it be in the national interest of this country to go back to the current constitution which is a mirror image of Mugabe's outlook on governance?" he said. Jonathan Moyo, the former Zanu PF information minister who remains in Mr Mugabe's inner circle, has complained that the new charter reduced the president's powers to make him "nothing more than a glorified clerk." Ordinary Zimbabweans also expressed misgivings. Petros Chiroto, 42, said voting was "a waste of time." "I think we had too many elections in Zimbabwe," he told The Daily Telegraph this morning. They don't change anything. There have been some early reports of violence this morning, despite all the main parties agreeing on what the outcome of the referendum should be. Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC spokesman, said a district official from his party had been "kidnapped" by four gunmen this morning in the eastern rural town of Headlands. "He was taken from his his home by armed people," he said, adding that he believed the attack was the work of Zanu PF rivals who are "terrorising the area." Last month the 12-year-old son of another MDC official in Headlands died after the hut he was in was burned down. The MDC claimed the blaze was caused by a firebomb thrown by Zanu PF activists. Earlier this week, a senior official from Mugabe's party was hospitalised after his house was firebombed in the same region.