The last position of Mugabe: He denounces his own party before the first election without him

Just before the first elections in Zimbabwe without him, now 94-year-old Robert Mugabe, who was in declining health, held an extraordinary impromptu press conference in his sumptuous residence.

The former president gave up on the political party that he helped "I must say very clearly that I can not vote for those who tormented me," Mugabe said. the current leaders of Zanu-PF. , the party he has led since the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980 until his former allies forced him to resign last November.

He then hinted that he would vote for Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, the only viable alternative.

"What's left is only Chamisa," he said with a wave of his hand.

Mugabe's comments marked his first appearance in this hotly contested election.

After presiding over a precipitous economic decline allowed Thanks to his unpopular wife, Grace, to position himself as his possible successor, he had lost much of his influence within Zanu-PF.

His comments probably came too late to have much effect on the vote.

He devoted most of his speech to criticizing Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took the reins after November's government-backed coup d'etat.

Tonight's vote opposes Mnangagwa, 75, to Chamisa, a 40-year-old attorney and pastor who will become Africa's youngest head of state

"Get rid of hypocrites" said Mugabe, who was sitting in a green chair. "Let tomorrow be the voice of the people saying that we will never know a time when the army is used to push someone into power."

He did not mince his words by calling the November events a coup d'etat. regional governments like the one in South Africa that had supported it so quickly started working with Mnangagwa.

"Our neighbors were deceived into thinking that it was not a coup d'etat, it was a coup d'etat," Mugabe said.

Mugabe and his wife have been reclusive since November, mostly staying in their mansion outside the capital, Harare, known as the Blue Roof.

Grace Mugabe was present at the press conference. an umbrella with a picture of her wedding day. From time to time, she asked her husband to sit down and talk openly.

When Ms. Mugabe raised the issue of her pension, she went ahead to clarify the amount: US $ 467,000

"Can you imagine? said, indignant that it is not bigger. The average Zimbabwean earns less than US $ 2,000 a year.

"There is no place for Grace Mugabe in my government," said Chamisa, apparently seeing a ploy for a role for her when he had to win the election. The Chamisa press conference was totally overshadowed by Mugabe's

"Take care of your old man," says Chamisa.

Mugabe stated that the idea that he had planned to hand over power to Grace was "absurd". He stated that he was planning to resign in December and that he had spoken to former Defense Minister Sydney Sekeremayi about his replacement.

Mugabe's criticism of military intervention in politics is considered more than moralistic by most Zimbabweans. The army and Zanu-PF have always been closely linked, generals becoming ministers and a strong presence of the army deployed to polling stations in previous elections.

In 2008, Mugabe lost the first round of elections to the MDC candidate. In the weeks following the second round, more than 200 opposition supporters were killed and thousands of journalists, including journalists, were arrested.

Recent polls indicate that Zanu-PF and the MDC are neck and neck. If neither party gets 50% of the votes, a second round will be held on September 8th. MDC supporters and civil rights organizations have documented intimidation and vote buying, casting doubts on the credibility of the election

Chamisa and Mnangagwa held their last rallies on Sunday, just over a mile from each other in Harare. There were tensions between supporters who subsequently met, but no violence was reported.

Both candidates vowed to open Zimbabwe to foreign investment after years of isolation and sanctions that helped paralyze the economy.

International election observers are in Zimbabwe for the first time since 2000, when Mugabe expelled them for perceived interference.

"So, the election [today] I ask: Is it to bring democracy? To bring about constitutionality? To bring freedom? Or will we see the return, a return of the same rule that we have known since November, "Mugabe said." Let's all pray that [today] brings us good news. "