Prime Minister of Zimbabwe

The Prime Minister of Zimbabwe is the head of government in Zimbabwe. From 1980 to 1987. Robert Mugabe was the first person to hold the position following independence from the United Kingdom. He took office when Rhodesia became the Republic of Zimbabwe on April 17, 1980. This position was abolished when the constitution was amended in 1987 and Mugabe became President of Zimbabwe, both the head of state and the head of government.

Restoration of office

In the wake of the electoral violence and controversy surrounding the 2008 presidential election and later run-off, negotiations between Mugabe's ZANU-PF and rival candidate Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC have led to the restoration of the office of prime minister. While the post will be restored according to the draft deal to be signed between Tsvangirai, Mugabe, and MDC faction leader Arthur Mutambara, it will most likely function to less capacity than the previous iteration of the office of Prime Minister that existed from 1980-1987. For instance, the prime minister will chair the cabinet and be head of government, but the president will remain head of the cabinet; in addition, the prime minister will sit in the Joint Operations Command, alongside the heads of the armed forces, intelligence, and police.

Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (1980-1987)

Name	Term start	Term end	Political Party
Robert Mugabe	18 April 1980	31 December 1987	Zimbabwe African National Union

Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (since 2008)

Name	Term start	Term end	Political Party
Morgan Tsvangirai	15 september 2008	present	Movement for Democratic Change