Mugabe says will accept defeat
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has for the first time suggested he would accept defeat if it so happened as he leads his Zanu-PF to another election on Wednesday.
At a press conference where he appeared unusually calm and collected spicing his responses with jokes, Mugabe – Zimbabwe President since 1980 – said in any competition results should be accepted as they come.
“When you enter a competition where there are only two results you must accept. What is required is if you lose, hand over to the winner,” he said.
The Zimbabwe president refused to predict results of the harmonised elections but was able to say he does not see a repeat of the 2008 situation where ZANU-PF had to enter into a unity government for lack of a clear winner.
On opposition criticism of him and his party manipulating the electoral process, Mugabe was claimed “I don’t control election.”
“I am a lawyer myself and have been brought up respecting rule of law. I don’t break laws,” he said.
Mugabe joked about lessons Zimbabwe has learnt from the Unity Government of Zanu-PF and MDC of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangrai and MDC of deputy Prime Minster Arthur Mutambala.
“We have learnt a number of things. At first Mr. Tsvangrai fear to take tea here, but I told him, am taking from this pot, if there is poison, I will be the first to die,” he said.
He went on to say, through the unity government the three parties have managed to unify Zimbabwe “and I hope we will continue being calm even after elections.”
“I call upon everybody to observe peace,” said Mugabe.
He refused that him and the state apparatus had a hand in delays by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release voter register to the opposition claiming he only got his copy on Monday.
“We must accept there have been hitches here and there but the process has been generally smooth. As politicians we exchanged punches. I got my fair share and I responded with my own upper cuts,” he joked.
Zimbabweans go to the polls on Wednesday to elect president, members of parliament and counselors in an election too close to call.
