• Simba Makoni is Zimbabwe's former Finance Minister under President Robert Mugabe. Makoni is no longer affiliated with Mugabe's administration and ran against him as an independent in the 2008 presidential election. Although Makoni's education made him popular amongst Zimbabwean intellectuals, he came in third place in the first round of elections.

• 1. Full name: Simbarashe Herbert Stanley Makoni
  2. Born: March 11, 1950 in Zimbabwe
  3. Political party: Independent
  4. Formerly affiliated with the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)
  5. Former Finance Minister under President Robert Mugabe
  6. In office: 2000 - 2002
  7. Forced to resign over policy disagreements with Mugabe
  8. Independent candidate in the 2008 presidential election
  9. Graduated from Leeds University
  10. Holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry
  11. Education made him a popular candidate amongst intellectualsallAfrica.com: Zimbabwe - A Warning On Simba Makoni's History of Failures (February 18, 2008)
  12. Lost in first round of elections, coming in third place

• Election Results

  Makoni came in third place in the first round of the 2008 presidential election. He earned 8.7% of the popular vote, behind incumbent Robert Mugabe's 43.2% and first-round winner Morgan Tsvangirai's 47.9%.BBC: Zimbabwe announces poll results (May 2, 2008) Since neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai earned greater than 50%, they are scheduled for a run-off election June 27, 2008.Reuters: What next in Zimbabwe's election? (June 10, 2008)

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