Late Sunday, former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe held a surprise press conference ahead of Monday's general elections. "I cannot vote for those who tormented me," Mugabe said during the address to the media.
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Mugabe says he has been "crying for a return to legality and constitutionality, freedom for our people... We must have a democratic constitution, that is what we fought for. People should be first. The people, the people, the people. That is what we always cried for."
The former president says neighboring countries have been "fooled into thinking all is well. It was a thorough coup d’état. You don’t roll down tanks and deploy the army. Nobody was attacking you. You were attacking yourselves."
The ex-leader said he preferred Dr. Sydney Sekeramayi as president of Zimbabwe and his successor in the Zanu PF. Mugabe also rubbished claims that he wanted to put his wife, Grace, in his place.
"It's utter nonsense... Leave Grace alone."
Mugabe added that he intended to step down prior to being ousted.
“I was sacked from the party I founded, Zanu-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front)... I was regarded now as an enemy. If the coup was to protect me, how come I am treated now as an opponent of those in government?”
Zimbabwe will go to the polls to choose the country's first head of state after Mugabe, who held office as prime minister and president since 1980 before stepping down last November.
Mugabe's successor, incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is being touted as the favorite but pre-election polls predict a tight race.
In a March presser, Mugabe said “some errors were done” during his presidency but the country was now “topsy-turvy,” adding that he “never thought (Mnangagwa) would be the man who turned against” him.
Both Mnangagwa and main rival Nelson Chamisa held wrap-up rallies on Saturday, with their respective ZANU-PF and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) parties.