Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T16:58:26.371Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Electoral Politics in Africa: The Experience of Zambia and Zimbabwe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2014

William Tordoff  and
Ralph Young
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

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.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 M. Bratton and N. van de Walle, Democratic Experiments in Africa: Regime Transitions in Comparative Perspective, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997, p. 243.Google Scholar

2 Joseph, R., ‘Africa, 1990–1997: From Abertura to Closure’, Journal of Democracy, 9: 2 (1998), p. 4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar See also, e.g. C. Monga, ‘Eight Problems with African Politics’, Journal of Democracy, 8: 3 (1997), pp. 156–70; V. Randall and L. Svåsand, ‘Political Parties and Democratic Consolidation in Africa’, Democratization, 9: 3 (2002), pp. 30–52; and and C. Ake, The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa, Dakar, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, 2000.

3 Barkan, J., ‘Protracted Transitions among Africa's New Democracies’, Democratization, 7: 3 (2000), pp. 227–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

4 Bratton, M., ‘Second Elections in Africa’, Journal of Democracy, 9: 3 (1998), p. 52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

5 See W. Tordoff (ed.), Politics in Zambia, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1974, and W. Tordoff (ed.), Administration in Zambia, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1980; C. Stoneman (ed.), Zimbabwe's Inheritance, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1981; and C. Stoneman and L. Cliffe, Zimbabwe: Politics, Economics and Society, London, Pinter, 1989.Google Scholar

6 C. Stoneman, ‘The Economy: Recognizing the Reality’, in C. Stoneman (ed.), Zimbabwe's Prospects, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1988, p. 43.Google Scholar

7 C. Gertzel, C. Baylies and M. Szeftel (eds), The Dynamics of the One-Party State in Zambia, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1984, esp. ch. 4.Google Scholar

8 See J. Herbst, State Politics in Zimbabwe, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1990, p. 227.Google Scholar

9 By 1997 these figures had increased to 3.3 million ha. and 71,000 peasant families, considerably lower than the government had planned. See chapters by J. Cusworth and L. Cliffe in T. A. S. Bowyer-Bower and C. Stoneman (eds), Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Constraints and Prospects, Aldershot, Ashgate, 2000, pp. 25–34 and 35–46 respectively.Google Scholar

10 See C. Stoneman, ‘Zimbabwe Land Policy and the Land Reform Programme’, in Bowyer-Bower and Stoneman, Land Reform in Zimbabwe, p. 51.Google Scholar

11 Naldi, G. J., ‘Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Some Legal Aspects’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 31: 4 (1993), pp. 585–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

12 See Richard Brown, ‘Zimbabwe: Recent History’, in K. Murison (ed.), Africa South of the Sahara 2004, London, Europa, 2004, p. 1224.Google Scholar

13 Raftopoulos, B., ‘Beyond the House of Hunger: Democratic Struggle in Zimbabwe’, Review of African Political Economy, 19: 54 (1992), p. 73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

14 Sylvester, C., ‘Whither Opposition in Zimbabwe?’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 33: 3 (1995), pp. 403–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

15 See Baylies, C. and Szeftel, M., ‘The Fall and Rise of Multiparty Politics in Zambia’, Review of African Political Economy, 19: 54 (1992), pp. 75–91;CrossRefGoogle Scholar and K. Panter-Brick, ‘Prospects for Democracy in Zambia’, Government and Opposition, 29: 2 (1994), pp. 231–47.

16 Stoneman, C., ‘The Zimbabwean Economy in 1997–98’, Britain Zimbabwe Society (BZS) Zimbabwe Review, 98: 3 (1998), pp. 1–15;Google Scholar and L. M. Sachikonye, ‘Whither Zimbabwe? Crisis and Democratization’, Review of African Political Economy, 29: 91 (2002), pp. 14–15.

17 The Shona represent nearly 80 per cent of Zimbabwe's population, and the Ndebele under 20 per cent.Google Scholar

18 Sithole, M., ‘Fighting Authoritarianism in Zimbabwe’, Journal of Democracy, 12: 1 (2001), pp. 163–5, 168–9;CrossRefGoogle Scholar and S. Dansereau, ‘Zimbabwe: Labour's Options within the Movement for Democratic Change’, Review of African Political Economy, 28: 89 (2001), pp. 404–7.

19 T. A. S. Bowyer-Bower and C. Stoneman, ‘Land Reform's Constraints and Prospects: Policies, Perspectives and Ideologies in Zimbabwe Today’, in Bowyer-Bower and Stoneman, Land Reform in Zimbabwe, pp. 10–11; and ‘Zimbabwe: Strike Paralyzes Country’, Africa Research Bulletin, Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 35: 2 (1998), p. 13360 Google Scholar; ‘Zimbabwe: U-Turn on White Farm Seizure’, Africa Research Bulletin, 35: 12 (1998), p. 13727; and ‘Zimbabwe: Softer Line on Land Acquisition’, Africa Research Bulletin, 36: 2 (1999), p. 13802.

20 See Compagnon, D., ‘Zimbabwe: Life after ZANU–PF’, African Affairs, 99: 396 (2000), pp. 449–53;CrossRefGoogle Scholar L. Laakso, ‘The Politics of International Election Observation: The Case of Zimbabwe in 2000’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 40: 3 (2002), pp. 437–64; and D. Pottie, ‘Parliamentary Elections in Zimbabwe, 2000’, Electoral Studies, 21: 3 (2002), pp. 485–92.

21 Burnell, P., ‘The First Two MMD Administrations in Zambia: Millennium Dawn or Millennium Sunset?’, Contemporary Politics, 7: 2 (2001), pp. 104–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

22 Burnell, P., ‘Financial Indiscipline in Zambia's Third Republic: The Role of Parliamentary Scrutiny’, Journal of Legislative Studies, 7: 3 (2001), pp. 34–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

23 E. Cromwell, ‘Zambia: A Wind of Change in Expenditure Management’, in J. Healey and W. Tordoff (eds), Votes and Budgets: Comparative Studies in Accountable Governance in the South, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1995, pp. 153–207; and Szeftel, M., ‘“Eat with Us”: Managing Corruption and Patronage under Zambia's Three Republics, 1964–99’, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 18: 2 (2000), pp. 207–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

24 Burnell, ‘The First Two MMD Administrations in Zambia’, pp. 100–1; and Craig, J., ‘ “Evaluating Privatisation in Zambia: A Tale of Two Processes’, Review of African Political Economy, 27: 85 (2000), pp. 357–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

25 Baylies, C. and Szeftel, M., ‘The 1996 Zambian Elections: Still Awaiting Democratic Consolidation’, Review of African Political Economy, 24: 71 (1997), pp. 113–28;CrossRefGoogle Scholar P. Burnell, ‘Whither Zambia? The Zambian Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of November 1996’, Electoral Studies, 16: 3 (1997), pp. 407–16; J. K. van Donge, ‘Reflections on Donors, Opposition and Popular Will in the 1996 Zambian General Elections’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 36: 1 (1998), pp. 71–99; and C. J. J. Mphaisha, ‘The State of Democratization in Zambia’, Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, 38: 3 (2000), pp. 131–46.

26 Burnell, P., ‘Zambia's 2001 Elections: The Tyranny of Small Decisions, “Non-Decisions” and “Not Decisions” ’, Third World Quarterly, 23: 6 (2002), p. 1111;CrossRefGoogle Scholar G. Mthembu-Salter, ‘Zambia: Recent History’, in K. Murison (ed.), Africa South of the Sahara 2004, London, Europa, 2004, pp. 1200–1.

27 ‘European Union Election Observation Mission: Zambian Elections 2001, Final Statement’, 5 February 2001 (sic), p. 3, at http://www/eu.int/comm/external_relations/human_rights/eu_election_ass_observ/Zambia/. See also Burnell, ‘Zambia's 2001 Elections’, p. 1106.Google Scholar

28 ‘Zimbabwe: Battle of Wills’, Africa Research Bulletin, Political, Social and Cultural Series, 39: 1 (2002), p. 14718.Google Scholar

29 For discussion of the 2002 election, see especially Bush, R. and Szeftel, M., ‘Sovereignty, Democracy and Zimbabwe's Tragedy’, Review of African Political Economy, 29: 91 (2002), pp. 5–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

30 Baker, B., ‘When to Call Black White: Zimbabwe's Electoral Reports’, Third World Quarterly, 23: 6 (2002), pp. 1145–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

31 ‘Zimbabwe: Mugabe's Plans Defeated’, Africa Research Bulletin, Political, Social and Cultural Series, 40: 8 (2003), pp. 15426–7;Google Scholar and ‘Zimbabwe: Marching to Masvingo’, Africa Confidential, 44: 23 (2003), pp. 1–3.

32 ‘Zimbabwe: This Land is our Land’, Africa Confidential, 44: 4 (2003), pp. 1–2;Google Scholar and ‘Zimbabwe: No Chance, Mr. President’, Africa Confidential, 44: 22 (2003), p. 1.

33 ‘‘Zimbabwe and the Commonwealth: Bye Bye Bob’, Economist, 13 (December 2003), p. 57.Google Scholar

34 Burnell, P., ‘The Party System and Party Politics in Zambia: Continuities Past, Present and Future’, African Affairs, 100: 399 (2001), pp. 255–9;CrossRefGoogle Scholar and Dansereau, ‘Zimbabwe: Labour's Options’.

35 Burnell, P., ‘Does Economic Reform Promote Democratisation? Evidence from Zambia's Third Republic’, New Political Economy, 6: 2 (2001), p. 209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

36 Ibid.Google Scholar

37 For possible solutions, see A. Reynolds, Electoral Systems and Democratization in Southern Africa, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999; and J. J. Linz, ‘The Perils of Presidentialism’, in L. Diamond and M. F. Plattner (eds), The Global Resurgence of Democracy, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, pp. 108–26.Google Scholar