The Prime Minister of Zimbabwe was the head of government in Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987. Robert Mugabe was the only prime minister in the history of Zimbabwe so far. 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.
