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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The role of the Southern African Development Community in the management of Zimbabwe's post-election crisis |
Author: | Matlosa, Khabele |
Year: | 2009 |
Periodical: | Journal of African Elections (ISSN 1609-4700) |
Volume: | 8 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 46-73 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Zimbabwe |
Subjects: | political conflicts conflict resolution elections 2008 SADC |
Abstract: | The political crisis that beset Zimbabwe following its harmonized elections in March 2008 and the controversial presidential run-off poll in June of the same year has triggered heated debate among academics and policymakers alike. This paper joins this debate. It proposes an analytical framework for the understanding of the crisis and its political ramifications for democratization in Zimbabwe. In this regard, it problematizes the key question, whether or not elections are meaningful to those who have voted if political elites are able to form a government by other means. It unravels the underlying factors behind the post-election crisis, one of these being Zimbabwe's long trajectory of ZANU-PF's political hegemony to the detriment of a viable multipartyism. It investigates SADC's intervention through mediation and how far this has taken the country on its democratization path. While a political settlement has been achieved with the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), the extent to which the key political players adhere to and observe the letter and spirit of the agreement remains moot. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract] |