ZIMBABWEAN POLL
Robert Mugabe rules out voting for Zanu-PF
‘I must say very clearly, I can’t vote for those who have tormented me,’ says the former president
Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has snubbed his own Zanu-PF party, saying he will back any one of the opposition parties in today’s elections. Although the nonagenarian has paled into insignificance in Zimbabwean politics, the ruling party is fragmented. This means he still has many sympathisers who could follow his lead and tip the vote in favour of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). But Mugabe’s endorsement could also be a poisoned chalice for the MDC, according to Rashweat Mukundu, an analyst at the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute in Harare. "Mugabe is detested by the support base of the MDC," he said. "His endorsement of Nelson Chamisa is a typical indication of Mugabe’s kind of politics, which has him at the centre and nothing else. "It may be a kiss of death for the MDC." Mugabe called a news media conference at his palatial home in Harare to castigate his colleagues in Zanu-PF. "I cannot vote for Zanu-PF," the 94-year-old said. "I must say very clearly, I can’t ...
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