Tsvangirai, << CHAHN gih ry >>, Morgan (1952-2018), was prime minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. The office of prime minister was created for him as part of a power-sharing agreement with President Robert Mugabe, whom he had long opposed.
Tsvangirai was born on March 10, 1952, in Gutu in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He left school at an early age so he could work to support his family. He worked in a mine and became involved with labor unions. In 1988, he was elected secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), a federation of labor unions. The ZCTU had supported Mugabe, who had led Zimbabwe’s government since 1980. As Zimbabwe’s economy began to decline in the 1990’s, however, Tsvangirai led the ZCTU in protests against Mugabe.
In 1999, Tsvangirai founded the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), a political party in opposition to Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). In 2002, Tsvangirai lost Zimbabwe’s presidential election to Mugabe. However, international observers condemned the election, citing widespread cases of vote fraud.
In 2008 elections, Tsvangirai won a majority of the vote but not a large enough majority to secure the presidency. A runoff election was scheduled, but Tsvangirai withdrew due to violence and intimidation against voters by members of ZANU-PF. In September 2008, both parties signed a power-sharing agreement. The agreement created the post of prime minister, to be held by Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai took office in February 2009. Under the arrangement, the president acted as head of state, and the prime minister headed the government.
In 2013, Zimbabweans voted for a new constitution that abolished the post of prime minister. Mugabe won reelection that July. Tsvangirai’s term as prime minister ended when Mugabe was sworn in that September. Tsvangirai died on Feb. 14, 2018.
