MUGABE Robert (Mugabe Robert)

(p. 1924)
Born February 21, 1924 in Kutame, where under the Government of the white minority. After attending Catholic schools and work as a teacher in 1942-1949 received a scholarship to study at University College in Fort Heyer in South Africa, which he graduated in 1951. In 1956 he moved to Ghana. Returning to his homeland in 1960, was appointed Secretary for Public Affairs in the office of the National Democratic Party, headed by Joshua Nkomo. In 1961 the party was banned and then re-registered under the name of Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). In 1963 Mugabe broke with ZAPU and create a party Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU)

. The Government of Southern Rhodesia, . fear, . Britain as a condition of independence will require to begin the process of transferring power to the Government of the African majority, . banned all political parties, . their leaders were arrested, . including Mugabe, . who had been imprisoned for 11 years,
.

After his release, Mugabe led ZANU, which by 1979 had armed units in 20 thousand. men. Mugabe, who called himself a Marxist, was the most radical wing of the party, which, however, did not prevent him to enter into an alliance with ZAPU led by Joshua Nkomo and form the Patriotic Front.

Mugabe attended at the London constitutional conference 1979, where agreement was reached to end the guerrilla war and the elimination of the rule of white settlers in Rhodesia. ZANU won an absolute majority of seats in elections in the new parliament, and in April 1980, Mugabe became prime minister of independent Zimbabwe, and December 31, 1987 - President. He was reelected in the presidential elections of 1990 and 1996.

In late 1990, international observers and opposition leaders have accused him of seeking to retain power at any cost. Mugabe's popularity has declined against the background of the acute problems in the economy and political scandals. The decision on the country's involvement in the war in the Congo led to protests that had led to general strikes. In the 2000 elections the opposition Movement for Democratic Change got 57 seats (out of 150).