President Robert Mugabe, facing the toughest election battle of his 28 years in power, handed out hundreds of cars to doctors on Thursday in what opponents say is a vote buying campaign.
The main opposition group said it had uncovered more evidence that Mugabe planned to rig Saturday's presidential election, in which he faces old rival Morgan Tsvangirai and ruling party defector Simba Makoni.
Both accuse Mugabe, 84, of wrecking what was once one Africa's strongest economies and pauperizing its people.
On national television, Mugabe blamed Zimbabwe's troubles on Western sanctions imposed on him and allies to try to force reform. Mugabe said the measures had harmed health care in Zimbabwe, one of the countries worst affected by HIV/AIDS.
"Our health sector (once) operated in a regional and international context that was free of the illegal sanctions which weigh us down today," Mugabe said in a ceremony to give 450 cars to senior and middle-level doctors at government hospitals.
"Then we could access vital health equipment, medical drugs and other essentials without the inhumane and insensitive declared and undeclared sanctions called for by Britain and America," said Mugabe.
Homes promised
He promised the doctors houses within two years.
Mugabe has also handed out farm equipment and public buses in what critics say is an attempt to win political favor ahead of the vote in a country where many can no longer afford even basic needs and food and fuel are in short supply.
The health sector suffers a shortage of drugs and skilled workers because many have gone abroad in search of better pay.
Nurses and doctors have been on strike to demand more pay and all state workers were promised higher salaries by Mugabe during the campaign, but inflation of over 100,000 percent quickly makes pay rises meaningless.
Critics say Mugabe's policies, particularly seizing white-owned farms to give to landless blacks, have led to ruin.
The March 29 presidential, parliamentary and local council polls are seen as the most important since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980, but few expect a fair vote.
Tsvangirai's main wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Thursday it had more evidence of planned ballot rigging and believed Mugabe was planning to declare victory with almost 60 percent of the vote.
'Ghost' voters alleged
MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said the party had unearthed "ghost" voters in some constituencies.
Giving an example, he said 65 percent of voters in one constituency were found to be in an area that had no settlements. Further irregularities included finding 75 voters with the same home address and more ballots printed than voters.
The opposition says geographic distribution of polling stations favors Mugabe's traditional rural strongholds.
Mugabe must win over half the presidential vote to avoid a second round run-off that might unite his opponents.
He rejects persistent accusations of rigging three elections since 2000 and accuses the West, especially former colonial power Britain and the United States, of a campaign to drive him from power.
Biti accused the electoral commission of coming up with extra polling stations in rural constituencies to support Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. There was no immediate comment from the commission.
"This election is being lost and being stolen on a computer. From our analysis and rudimentary cleaning of the voters' roll, they (ZANU-PF) want to declare a majority of 58 percent of the vote," Biti told reporters.
