Zimbabwe

New Actors in the Game: The MDC–Alliance and Election Manipulation in Zimbabwe

Obert Hodzi

Traditional methods of rigging elections are falling out of favour in the eyes of leaders keen to have their authoritarian regimes validated at the ballot box. Aided by digital technologies, a loyal supporter base and a lucrative party identity and narrative, opposition parties like Zimbabwe’s MDC are taking their turn at manipulating the outcomes of elections, and forcing the hand of those who...

""Mugabe has traditionally had strong links with the ANC (the African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling party) because of the liberation struggle,” Lawson said in a Skype interview. “But also, as the leader of the South African Development Community (SADC), as a strong voice in the African Union, South Africa feels it’s got a role to play in minimising any broader disruption that comes from this. There are a large number of Zimbabweans working – migrant workers – in South Africa. So Zuma does not want to see this problem expanding outside the borders of Zimbabwe.” "

Zimbabwe crisis: what next?