Zimbabwe’s Hijacked Election

Issue Date October 2002
Volume 13
Issue 4
Page Numbers 87-101
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Read the full essay here.

Realizing that power would slip from his grasp if he allowed an honest presidential election in 2002, longtime strongman Robert Mugabe resorted to antidemocratic tactics that set a new low in cruelty and dishonesty.

About the Author

John Makumbe, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Zimbabwe, is coauthor (with Daniel Compagnon) of Behind the Smokescreen: The Politics of Zimbabwe’s 1995 General Elections (1996). He is currently chairing the Zimbabwe chapter of Transparency International, an international nongovernmental organization devoted to fighting corruption.

View all work by John Makumbe

Further Reading

Volume 25, Issue 2

A New Twilight in Zimbabwe? The Perils of Power Sharing

After four years of sharing power with the opposition, Zimbabwe’s longtime president Robert Mugabe and his party claimed a huge victory in the 2013 elections. What accounts for the opposition’s…

Volume 28, Issue 1

Violence Against Women in Politics

The use of force and intimidation against women trying to take part in politics is a growing problem in many places. Such violence assumes a number of different forms, but…

Volume 26, Issue 2

The “Power-Sharing” Trap

A review of Power Politics in Zimbabwe by Michael Bratton.