Why Mugabe Won: The 2013 Elections in Zimbabwe and their Aftermath

Description

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.

Stephen Chan OBE was the Foundation Dean of Law and Social Sciences at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and was 2010 International Studies Association Eminent Scholar in Global Development. He was 2015 Konrad Adenauer Chair of Academic Excellence at Birzeit University, Palestine and 2016 George Soros Chair of Public Policy at the Central European University, Budapest. A former member of the Commonwealth Secretariat, he helped invent modern electoral observation at the independence elections of Zimbabwe in 1980, and has published 31 books, several on Zimbabwe. Julia Gallagher teaches African Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research focuses on African international relations and their impact on domestic politics, as well as British policy in Africa. She is the author of three books on Africa and Zimbabwe, and is also the author of Zimbabwe's International Relations (Cambridge, forthcoming).

'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