Mugabe, Robert (Gabriel)

Zimbabwean politician, prime minister from 1980 and executive president from 1987. He was detained and imprisoned in Rhodesia (as Zimbabwe was then known) for nationalist activities 1964–74, then carried on guerrilla warfare from Mozambique as leader of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union). He became the first prime minister of an independent Zimbabwe. Mugabe came under increasing criticism from the 1990s as Zimbabwe suffered economic decline and growing political violence. The deterioration in political and human rights in Zimbabwe led to the European Union (EU) and USA imposing targeted sanctions on the Zimbabwean government in 2002, and in 2003 Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth in protest against its earlier and continuing suspension.

Between 1998–2000, demonstrations were held by students, workers, and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), against alleged government corruption, the rise in fuel prices, and Zimbabwe's intervention in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2000 Mugabe supported the invasion of white farms by veterans of the struggle for independence, and invoked special presidential powers in order to seize land without compensation. The Supreme Court condemned the policy as unconstitutional but the move was popular among ZANU-PF supporters in rural areas. This formed the basis for Mugabe's re-election as president in 2002, narrowly defeating the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai; however the elections were marred by violence and intimidation and were considered flawed by international observers.