Zimbabwean Politics in the Post-2013 Election Period. Issue 2 (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Raftopoulos, Brian
• Is Part Of: Afrika Spectrum. Volume 49:Issue 2(2014)
• Page Start: 91
• Page End: 103
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: Zimbabwe -- domestic policy -- international relations -- ZANU-PF -- MDC -- Zimbabwe -- Innenpolitik -- internationale Beziehungen -- ZANU-PF -- MDC; Africa -- Periodicals; Afrique; Africa; Afrique; Periodicals; 960.05
• DOI: 10.1177/000203971404900205
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-0397

Abstract

The 2013 elections in Zimbabwe confirmed the grip of Mugabe and ZANU-PF on Zimbabwean politics. The electoral outcome was the result of a combination of factors that included not only the long-term legacy of ZANU-PF's coercive politics, constructed through a radical nationalist discourse, but also the changes in the social structure of the country as a result of the reconfiguration of Zimbabwe's political economy since the late 1990s. In the aftermath of the 2013 elections, the enormous economic constraints confronting the country have forced the Mugabe regime to take a more conciliatory tone as it seeks to re-engage with the West in the search for economic assistance. In its attempts to find a path through these economic challenges, ZANU-PF must also contend with the growing battle for succession within the party as Mugabe's rule draws to an end.