Mugabe Loses Support as Election Nears

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Senior members of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party have publicly backed Simba Makoni, President Mugabe's challenger.

Mr. Makoni's hopes of securing the presidency in elections later this month depend on him splitting Zanu-PF and gaining the support of figures who control sections of the state and party machinery.

The more backing he earns, the harder it will become for Mr. Mugabe to rig the vote, as he is widely believed to have done in the last presidential election in 2002.

At a rally Yesterday in Highfield, a suburb of Harare, thousands gathered to see Mr. Makoni share the stage with Edgar Tekere, who co-founded Zanu-PF with Mr. Mugabe.

"Let's get Zimbabwe working again in the spirit of national reconciliation," Mr. Makoni, said. "There's enough space for all of us under the Zimbabwe sun."

Several veterans of the independence war, who have traditionally been fanatically loyal to Mr. Mugabe, used the rally to come out in public support of Mr. Makoni. Most significantly, several aides to Solomon Mujuru, the former army commander believed to be backing Mr. Makoni, were present. One said Mr. Mujuru feels uneasy about publicly opposing Mr. Mugabe while his wife, Joyce, is still vice president of Zimbabwe. On Saturday at a rally in Bulawayo, Dumiso Dabengwa, a former government minister and a member of the Zanu-PF politburo, also announced his support for Mr. Makoni.