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Electoral Politics in Africa: The Experience of Zambia and Zimbabwe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2014

William Tordoff  and
Ralph Young
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Abstract

The neighbouring African states of Zambia and Zimbabwe have seen major changes to their systems of power following a series of elections between February 2000 and March 2002. These elections produced dramatic shifts in the balance between ruling parties and opposition forces, and challenged the continuance of powerful executive presidencies and one-party dominant political systems. The article explores the setting in which these electoral shifts occurred and attempts to mark out the domestic and international factors that have conditioned their impact. It concludes that profound structural changes are needed if either state is to move towards liberal democracy.

Type
Articles
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , 2005 , pp. 403 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2005.

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