Party planner: Emmerson Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe’s new president is seeking to consolidate his power within the ruling party following the ousting of Robert Mugabe. The Zanu-PF politburo meets today ahead of a congress later this week. There, Mr Mnangagwa will formally replace Mr Mugabe as the party’s first secretary, and as its candidate for the 2018 election. The expulsion of former first lady Grace Mugabe and her supporters will also be ratified. Mr Mnangagwa is expected to name a vice-president or two. The army chief, Constantino Chiwenga, is a contender: he masterminded the military intervention that led to Mr Mugabe’s resignation last month, after 37 years in power. The president has already named army generals to his cabinet; Mr Chiwenga’s appointment would disappoint Democrats worried about the entrenchment of the army in politics. Mr Mnangagwa says he will focus on rebuilding Zimbabwe’s shattered economy. But there is no evidence he will set about mending the country’s equally dysfunctional polity.