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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Mugabe rival wins key supporter | Mugabe rival wins key supporter |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Simba Makoni, a former Zimbabwean finance minister who plans to challenge Robert Mugabe for the presidency, has won the backing of a key politician. | Simba Makoni, a former Zimbabwean finance minister who plans to challenge Robert Mugabe for the presidency, has won the backing of a key politician. |
| Dumiso Dabengwa, a former government minister and senior Zanu-PF member, said he was supporting Mr Makoni. | Dumiso Dabengwa, a former government minister and senior Zanu-PF member, said he was supporting Mr Makoni. |
| The announcement came as Mr Makoni was set to launch his election campaign for the 29 March presidential vote. | The announcement came as Mr Makoni was set to launch his election campaign for the 29 March presidential vote. |
| Analysts say Mr Makoni's entry makes it a three-horse race, against Mr Mugabe and long-term rival Morgan Tsvangirai. | Analysts say Mr Makoni's entry makes it a three-horse race, against Mr Mugabe and long-term rival Morgan Tsvangirai. |
| President Mugabe has called his opponents "witches" and "charlatans". He also called his rivals "traitors and two-headed creatures". | |
| Launching his re-election campaign on Friday, he said he was certain of victory in next month's presidential and parliamentary polls. | |
| Mr Mugabe has been in power since the country gained independence from the UK in 1980. | |
| The economy has collapsed under his rule, with the annual inflation rate at more than 100,000%. | |
| He blames the state of the country on Western sanctions imposed following allegations that he rigged the 2002 polls. | |
| The sanctions are targeted at Mr Mugabe and his close associates - they are subject to a travel ban and an assets freeze in the European Union and the US. | |
| As well as hyper-inflation, there are food and fuel shortages and just one in five adults is believed to have a job. |