Mugabe: We never rigged votes

In his first sit down interview with British media in almost ten years Robert Mugabe has blamed Britain for Zimbabwe's problems.

The Zimbabwe President was speaking ahead of tomorrow's elections which will see Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai attempt, for a third time, to unseat the controversial leader.

Speaking in Harare, President Mugabe spoke of his "condemnation by us of Britain and mainly of the government of Mr Blair - he's the one who caused it, he didn't want dialogue - and then we wondered what sort of government it was that would prefer to impose sanctions on us."

Mugabe is aiming to extend his 33 year hold on power after leading the former Rhodesia to independence from Britain in 1980.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has denied that the country has ever suffered from vote rigging, on the eve of tomorrow's general election.

In an exclusive interview with ITV News Africa Correspondent Rohit Kachroo, Mr Mugabe said: "That's a foreign word - 'rigging'.

"We've never ever rigged an election. This is not the first time we are voting. We started in 1980, every five years we've done elections.

"They've never ever ever [been rigged]- that I can assure you."

On the eve of watershed elections, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has given his first in-depth sit down interview with British television in a number of years to ITV News Africa Correspondent Rohit Kachroo.