A million dollar feast awaits an old African king in Zimbabwe this weekend as President Robert Mugabe celebrates his 91st birthday, but beyond the elephantine pomp and fanfare lie tempestuous factional battles for the ancient lion's throne. A seasoned maverick, Mugabe has survived this long by eliminating his challengers and enemies through use of the coercive arms of the party and state, but his 40 year rule of Zanu PF has bred far more infighting than stability.
Born out of a breakaway faction from the mother party, Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) in 1963, Zanu PF has always been afflicted by factional politics. Mugabe's own rise to First Secretary in 1975 was partly the product of an earlier split and throughout his reign, factional battles based on ethnic division, clan rivalry, political enmity and electoral contest have played themselves out in different ways. Often Mugabe has benefitted from these divisions, enabling him to consolidate power and legitimize his one-man rule. As can be seen from the current rumblings, Mugabe is a more powerful leader, but the party's undemocratic political environment is a toxic breeding ground for greater friction.
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