The August 2023 presidential election in Zimbabwe resulted in the reelection of the current ZANU-PF President, Emmerson Mnangagwa. This will be his second and final five-year term. However, many observers have deemed the election fraudulent, citing accounts of threats, intimidation, unfair polling, and negative coverage of the oppositional party. The opposition party (Citizens Coalition for Change) has challenged the results of the elections in court.
According to Freedom House, the ZANU-PF or Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front has “dominated Zimbabwean politics since independence in 1980, in part by carrying out severe crackdowns on the political opposition, critical media, and other sources of dissent.” In 2023 specifically, the government imposed new draconian legal restrictions on “freedom of expression” with the presence of “heavily biased state-run media”. In theory, Zimbabwe news outlets are able to freely seek online advertising; but in practice, they encounter many obstacles including “political pressures” as well as the potential for loss of revenue if they have criticized the government.
The ruling party used many tactics to undermine the opposition and its chances of winning the election. One of them was relying on “so-called exit pollsters’ present outside polling stations with a clear mission to impose a sense of intimidation and a ‘big brother is watching you’ sense of dread.” Such tactics preclude any meaningful competition and pluralism in Zimbabwe. Similarly, ZANU-PF, The Carter Center states, “did not adequately respect Zimbabwe’s regional and international commitments for democratic and inclusive elections”. Freedom House also observed that “Endemic corruption, weak rule of law, and poor protections for workers and land rights remain among Zimbabwe’s critical challenges.”
Democratic backsliding in Zimbabwe can be linked to key themes of nepotism, manipulating elections strategically, and fostering undemocratic norms. In terms of nepotism, a recent ABC News article notes that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sworn both a son and nephew into his new cabinet; in contrast, he did not appoint “any members of the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change party.” Regarding the manipulation of elections in a strategic manner, PBS reports that the ruling party “has used the police and courts to harass and intimidate opposition officials and supporters.” Additionally, the ruling party uses tactics of intimidation to deter oppositional voters from polling stations. This can be tied to the theme of institutional forbearance explored by Levitsky and Ziblatt. Levitsky and Ziblatt compare institutional tolerance to a game in which, “To ensure future rounds of the game, players must refrain from either incapacitating the other team or antagonizing them to such as degree, that they refuse to play again tomorrow.” By discouraging citizens from supporting the oppositional party, ZANU-PF has rigged the rules of the game.
Overall, the case of the Zimbabwean Presidential 2023 elections underscores the growing autocratic nature of the regime.
Works Cited:
AFP, Le Monde with. “Zimbabwe’s Opposition Challenges Election Results.” Le Monde, Le Monde, 28 Aug. 2023, www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/08/28/zimbabwe-s-opposition-challenges-election-results_6111819_4.html.
Bermeo, Nancy. “On Democratic backsliding.” Journal of Democracy, vol. 27, no. 1, 2016, pp. 5–19, https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2016.0012.
Cartaya, Maria. “Carter Center Finds Deep Flaws in Zimbabwe Elections and Calls for Release of Polling-Station Level Results.” The Carter Center, 31 Aug. 2023, www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/2023/zimbabwe-083123.html.
Chan, Stephen. “A Shameful Shambles: An Account of Zimbabwe’s Elections of August 2023.” African Arguments, 13 Sept. 2023, africanarguments.org/2023/09/a-shameful-shambles-an-account-of-zimbabwes-elections-of-august-2023/.
Gavin, Michelle. “Zimbabwe’s Flawed Election Results Meet With Regional Skepticism.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 28 Aug. 2023, www.cfr.org/in-brief/zimbabwes-flawed-election-results-meet-regional-skepticism.
Mutsaka, Farai, and Gerald Imray. “Zimbabwe’s Opposition Alleges Fraud in Election That Extends Incumbent Party’s 43-Year Rule.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Aug. 2023, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/zimbabwes-opposition-alleges-fraud-in-election-that-extends-incumbent-partys-43-year-rule.
Mutsaka, Farai. “Zimbabwe’s Newly Reelected President Appoints His Son and Nephew to Deputy Minister Posts.” ABC News, 12 Sept. 2023, abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/zimbabwes-newly-elected-president-appoints-son-nephew-deputy-103128474.
“Zimbabwe: FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2023 Country Report.” Freedom House, 2023, freedomhouse.org/country/zimbabwe/freedom-world/2023.
“Zimbabwe: FREEDOM ON THE NET 2023 Country Report.” Freedom House, 2023, freedomhouse.org/country/zimbabwe/freedom-net/2023.
Hello Payton,
Thanks for the insightful discussion on the current political situation in Zimbabwe, focusing on the 2023 elections and the actions of the ruling party, ZANU-PF. You did a wonderful job of connecting the theoretical basis with how the government played a role in deteriorating democratic values. Interestingly, the non-democratic governments apply the same formula to be in power; however, I am curious to know how tactics like the use of exit pollsters and intimidation influenced the political landscape and voter behaviour in Zimbabwe. You discussed the urgency of the international community’s response regarding the current situation in Zimbabwe, I am wondering what has been the international community’s response to the perceived democratic backsliding in Zimbabwe and will the external pressure bring any real change.
I am excited to get back from you.
Taniazaman Sarna
Second year PhD student,
Political Science,
Arizona State University.
Hi Payton,
You did an excellent job and pointing out all the undemocratic practices that are undermining the citizens voice enacted by the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. A lot of the tactics used reminded me of things happening under the Trump administration but taken to the next level. For example the exit pollsters. This was reminiscent of when Trump ordered his base to go to the polls and watch the poll workers, count ballot themselves and there were instances of far right groups or individuals at the polls being intimidating.
Hi Payton,
Thank you for your multi-faceted approach to the difficulties Zimbabwe is facing in their elections! Your explanation of the ruling party’s use of intimidation and state-owned institutions such as courts, pollsters and police to influence voters was comprehensive. What I found particularly interesting was that the opposition party was challenging the election in court. Their ability to formally challenge the election is indicative of a functioning democracy with checks and balances. It will be fascinating to see if/how the court upholds the election results. We have seen with many cases that executive aggrandizement includes consolidating control of the courts. This allows the executive to pass laws and orders without interference or checks on legality from the judicial system. If there are grounds for overturning the results and the court does not find this reasoning to be legitimate, it may be indicative of their complete control by the executive. According to V-dem, electoral democracy scores have been fairly consistent for Zimbabwe over the last forty years; I wonder if the scores will dip following their analysis of the 2023 election.