At a news conference in Harare on the eve of polling, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 89, pledged he nor anyone in his administration corrupted voting polls despite allegations. He also promised to step down from the presidency if he loses the upcoming election.
Mugabe has been in power for 33 years and leads the nation at a time of serious economic instability, although Zimbabwe was once a prosperous country under his reign. Several governments have been critical of elections won by Mugabe, accusing him of intimidation and ballot rigging.
"We have done no cheating, never, ever," Mugabe told reporters.
Mugabe is up against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, 61, and has launched harsh attacks against him. However, he denies that loyalist members of the police and military will deny Tsvangirai to succeed as president if he wins the election.
According to the International Crisis Group, a free vote is nearly impossible given certain conditions. A spokesperson for the group stated, "Confidence in the process and institutions is low. The voters roll is a shambles, security forces unreformed and the media is grossly imbalanced. The electoral commission is under-funded and lacked time to prepare. Concerns about rigging are pervasive, strongly disputed results are highly likely."
Opinion polls for this particular election are not common, but according to a poll completed by the U.S.-based Williams firm back in March/April, Mugabe could be in for quite the challenge.
The U.S. voiced it's concern on Tuesday when State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki worried about "the lack of transparency in electoral preparations, by continued partisan behavior by state security institutions and by the technical and logistical issues hampering the administration of a credible and transparent election."
A reported 6.4 million people are eligible to vote come Wednesday morning, and results are expected within five days.
