PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe says he will serve the full term if he wins elections held on Wednesday, he told reporters immediately after voting.
Mugabe, accompanied by First Lady, Grace, voted at Mhofu Primary School in Highfield and then faced the world's media.
When a journalist asked Mugabe if he will see his term through should he win, he shot back: "Why not? Don't you want me to serve the whole term, which is what I'm elected for? Why should I offer myself as a candidate if it's to cheat the people into resigning after?
There has been speculation that Mugabe, once elected into power, will resign and appoint either his deputy Joice Mujuru or Defence Minister Emerson Mnangagwa to finish his term which is permitted under the new constitution.
Mugabe also dismissed accusations by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T party that the election was rigged. "They're politicking, they want want to find a way out," he said.
Tsvangirai, who voted earlier at Mt Pleasant High School in Harare, said preparations for the elections raised "all sorts of credibility questions".
"The voters' roll has not been resolved, we hope that it's not going to be a big impediment for people to make a choice," Tsvangirai said. "As I said, you can't have a voters' roll two days before the election, it raises all sorts of credibility questions."
Mugabe said Zimbabweans had voted freely and fairly without pressure being exerted on them.
He said if re-elected, he would work hard to fix the economy and revive industries.
"In our new term, we have lots of things to do really to try and get our economy back on its feet. It means we are looking at our industries as good as collapsed, then doing much work in regard to the mining sector. That's the sector which we think can prop up all the others," Mugabe said.
"Indigenisation, we cannot escape that because that's the reality of the situation. We're Zimbabweans, we're a sovereign country the resources of the country are ours.."
Tsvangirai said he hoped that the people of Zimbabwe would complete the change that they have been fighting for over the last decade.
"We wish everyone time to complete the change that we've always fought for in the last 14 years. It's an emotional moment sometimes when you see all these people after all the conflict, the stalemate, the suspicion and the hostility. I think there's a sense of calmness that finally Zimbabweans will be able to move on again."
Mugabe admitted that the journey to elections to end the coalition with his MDC arrivals formed in 2008 had been long, but added: "It was a good experience".
"It was naturally harder, you know, a very torturous route to get to this (election), the new constitution and so forth. When you're in government with other parties, you've to get the views of everybody to agree in cabinet and so on. We hope the people will decide now which way they would want us to go," Mugabe.
Results of council and House of Assembly votes are expected to trickle in throughout Thursday, but the results of the Presidential elections could take up to five days.
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