Zimbabwe president: I'll go if I lose crucial poll

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — On the eve of elections in Zimbabwe, longtime President Robert Mugabe denied on Tuesday that his supporters have engaged in vote-rigging despite widespread allegations of irregularities in the run-up to the polls. He also said he would step down if he loses the elections after 33 years at the helm of a once prosperous nation whose economy is now in dire shape.

Western governments have condemned previous elections won by Mugabe, alleging the vote was swayed by political violence, intimidation and ballot rigging. While this campaign has so far been far less violent than past elections, there are numerous signs that the electoral process has been vulnerable to manipulation, raising prospects of more political uncertainty ahead.

"We have done no cheating, never, ever," Mugabe, 89, told a news conference in Harare on the eve of polling that begins at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT.)

He brushed aside allegations that loyalist commanders in the police and military will not accept a poll victory by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, 61, the former opposition leader, and allow him to succeed as the nation's new president. In previous campaign appearances, however, Mugabe has leveled harsh attacks on Tsvangirai.

Mugabe described campaigning as peaceful except for "a few incidents here and there" and said any unrest surrounding contested results will be stopped.

But independent election monitors say the state election commission, dominated by Mugabe's sympathizers, is poorly prepared to hold fair polls.