HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, locked in a standoff with the opposition in power- sharing talks, went ahead Saturday and laid claim to all key ministries as he tries to retain his iron grip on the struggling southern African nation.
Opposition leaders denounced the move, saying it jeopardized a September power-sharing deal that had deadlocked over Cabinet posts.
Mugabe’s move was reported Saturday by the state-run Herald newspaper, which published a list from the official government gazette giving the ruling ZANU-PF party 14 ministries, including defense, home and foreign affairs, justice, media, mines and land.
According to the list, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which won the first round of presidential voting and a slight majority of parliamentary seats in elections this year, gets only minor ministries.
