Electoral Abuse and a Fearful Electorate

The paper examines the impact of the 'winner-takes-all' (WTA) electoral system in Zimbabwe since 1980, asserting that this model has been abused by the ruling ZANU-PF party to consolidate power through violence and the marginalization of opposition. It highlights a history of electoral abuse, including the 1990, 2000, 2002, and 2008 elections, and suggests that the current system creates a 'fearful electorate'. The authors propose electoral reforms, specifically the adoption of proportional representation for presidential elections, the formation of coalition governments, and greater political inclusion to ensure a more democratic and peaceful governance process.

• Zimbabwe's 'winner-takes-all' (WTA) electoral system, also known as first-past-the-post, has been used by the ruling ZANU-PF party to consolidate political power and establish a one-party state through the marginalization of opposition and the monopolization of state resources.
• The WTA system has been linked to extreme political violence and the use of fear to manipulate the electorate, with particularly violent periods occurring during the 1990, 2000, 2002, and 2008 elections.
• While Zimbabwe introduced a mixed electoral system in its 2013 Constitution—applying proportional representation (PR) to senatorial seats and reserving 60 parliamentary seats for women—the presidential and local government elections remain largely based on the WTA approach.
• To improve electoral governance and reduce violence, the document recommends replacing the WTA presidential system with proportional representation, establishing coalition governments, and increasing political inclusion.

APA

Zvaita, E. M. A. G. (2020). Electoral Abuse and a Fearful Electorate. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/electoral-abuse-and-a-fearful-electorate/

Chicago

Zvaita, Edknowledge Mandikwaza and Gilbert. Electoral Abuse and a Fearful Electorate. Good Governance Africa, 2020. https://gga.org/electoral-abuse-and-a-fearful-electorate/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zvaita |first1=Edknowledge Mandikwaza and Gilbert |title=Electoral Abuse and a Fearful Electorate |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=19 July 2020 |url=https://gga.org/electoral-abuse-and-a-fearful-electorate/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zvaita2020electoral, author = {Zvaita, Edknowledge Mandikwaza and Gilbert}, title = {{Electoral Abuse and a Fearful Electorate}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://gga.org/electoral-abuse-and-a-fearful-electorate/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }