Emmerson Mnangagwa

=== 2008 election and return to favour ===
In the [[2008 Zimbabwean general election|March 2008 parliamentary election]], Mnangagwa stood as ZANU–PF's candidate in the newly created [[Chirumanzu–Zibagwe]] constituency in rural [[Midlands Province]].<ref name=":39" /><ref name="Opts" /> He won by a wide margin, receiving 9,645 votes against two MDC candidates, Mudavanhu Masendeke and Thomas Michael Dzingisai, who respectively received 1,548 and 894 votes.<ref name=":39" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/electoral203.17984.html|title=Zimbabwe election results 2008|date=1 April 2008|newspaper=New Zimbabwe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405183324/http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/electoral203.17984.html|archive-date=5 April 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Mnangagwa was Mugabe's chief election agent during the [[2008 Zimbabwean general election|2008 presidential election]], and headed Mugabe's campaign behind the scenes.<ref name=":40">[http://allafrica.com/stories/200805090797.html "Mnangagwa Running Zanu PF Campaign"], ''Zimbabwe Independent'', 8 May 2008.</ref> Along with his team, Mnangagwa worked with party loyalists within the [[Joint Operations Command (Zimbabwe)|Joint Operations Command]] to ensure a Mugabe victory on election day.<ref name=":40" /> After Mugabe failed to win a majority in the initial vote, Mnangagwa organised a campaign of violence in the leadup to the [[Second round of voting in the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential election|second round of voting]] that caused opposition candidate [[Morgan Tsvangirai]] to withdraw from the election, securing Mugabe's continued rule.<ref name=":5" />