News In Brief
| Harare, Zimbabwe
Mugabe moves Zimbabwe toward a one-party system
Prime Minister Robert Mugabe appointed a powerful ruling party Politburo on Sunday to lead Zimbabwe toward a one-party state. He staffed it with personal loyalists regarded here as political moderates. The action, approved by a congress of Zimbabwe's ruling party, replaces one of Africa's few remaining Western-style democracies.
The 6,000 delegates to the Zimbabwe African National Union congress also called for introduction of an executive presidency, which would effectively raise Mr. Mugabe's status from prime minister to head of state.
In addition, the congress approved a strict code of conduct. Mugabe proposed the code Aug. 9, with strict rules against acquisition of wealth, corruption, drunkenness, immorality, and sex discrimination by party and government leaders.
