Why Mugabe Won
Why Mugabe Won
Julia Gallagher, Royal Holloway, University of London
The 2013 general elections in Zimbabwe were widely expected to mark a shift in the nation's political system, and a greater role for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. However, the results, surprisingly, were overwhelmingly in favour of long-time President Robert Mugabe, who swept the presidential, parliamentary and senatorial polls under relatively credible and peaceful conditions. In this book, a valuable and accessible read for both students and scholars working in African politics, and those with a general interest in the politics of the region, Stephen Chan and Julia Gallagher explore the domestic and international context of these landmark elections. Drawing on extensive research among political elites, grassroots activists and ordinary voters, Chan and Gallagher examine the key personalities, dramatic events, and broader social and political context of Mugabe's success, and what this means as Zimbabwe moves towards a future without Mugabe.
- Provides an accessible, comprehensive, and nuanced view of the landmark 2013 elections in Zimbabwe, allowing the reader to break down and understand the events that shape Zimbabwe's present and its future
- Based on extensive fieldwork and research, offering the perspective of the political elite, grassroots activists, and the ordinary Zimbabwean voter
- Examines the effects of the election in a wider context, showing the reader how domestic and international politics interact, both in Africa and on the international stage
Reviews & endorsements
‘Stephen Chan and Julia Gallagher's study of the 2013 Elections in Zimbabwe is fascinating, identifying the Election as a watershed both for Zanu-PF, the ‘Liberation Party', and the MDC, the once formidable opposition Party formed on a popular foundation of Human and Property Rights. It debunks the claim that ZANU PF ‘stole' the Elections, and instead demonstrates five years of political mobilization following its drastic loss of the 2008 Elections. In comparison MDC has been unable to develop policies and practical solutions based on deep national foundations. New political and economic paths are now taking shape, but the outcomes are not clear.' Fay Chung, Former Minister of Education for Zimbabwe
'This book is an important contribution to our evolving understanding of Zimbabwe's 'guided' democracy and the entrenched challenges of reform and recovery. The 2013 polls secured Zanu-PF victory, but not legitimacy. The detail examined in this book highlights the importance of employing a wider angle lens to understand the political economy of command and control during elections, especially where constraining conditions of coercive nationalism have become entrenched.' Piers Pigou, Southern Africa Senior Consultant, International Crisis Group
Product details
November 2020Paperback
9781107539808
203 pages
230 × 150 × 15 mm
0.31kg
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction: thinking a new Zimbabwe
- 2. Building towards the 2013 elections
- 3. The elections of 2013
- 4. 'We are tired of supporting a loser': the MDC campaign
- 5. 'Zanu managed to mend relationships': the Zanu-PF campaign
- 6. Conflicting reports and assessments I: the run-up
- 7. Conflicting reports and assessments II: the aftermath
- 8. One year after the elections
- 9. Succession battles in the new Zimbabwe
- Postscript: on reality and rumours.
