Why Zimbabwe Needs a Transitional Government

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies argues that Zimbabwe requires a transitional government rather than a government of national unity to resolve its political crisis following the widely condemned presidential election of June 2008.

• The author argues that a transitional government is more appropriate for Zimbabwe than a government of national unity (GNU) because the country lacks consensus on guiding norms and values, suffers from widespread violence and state power abuse, and has a collapsed economy. A GNU is viewed as likely to be unstable given the polarization between the two main parties.
• A transitional government is defined as a caretaker body appointed in the absence of legitimate authority to serve a limited time with a limited mandate. Its primary purpose is to create an enabling environment for a democratically elected government to take over, specifically by drafting a widely acceptable constitution and establishing the instruments for free and fair elections.
• The proposed transitional government for Zimbabwe should be composed of Zimbabweans—including representatives beyond just the MDC and Zanu-PF to ensure inclusivity—and could allow Robert Mugabe to remain president provided checks and balances are implemented. The author suggests a one-year mandate to draft a new constitution and ensure a conducive environment for elections, including the creation of a new electoral commission and the end of violence.
• To achieve this arrangement, the author recommends expanding the mediation process beyond South Africa (the current SADC mediator) to include the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to avoid accusations of bias. Additionally, the international community and AU should provide financial aid, humanitarian assistance, special envoys, and civilian peacekeepers to monitor the transitional authority.

APA

Hendricks, C. (2008). Why Zimbabwe Needs a Transitional Government. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/why-zimbabwe-needs-a-transitional-government

Chicago

Hendricks, Cheryl. Why Zimbabwe Needs a Transitional Government. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/why-zimbabwe-needs-a-transitional-government.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hendricks |first1=Cheryl |title=Why Zimbabwe Needs a Transitional Government |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2 July 2008 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/why-zimbabwe-needs-a-transitional-government |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hendricks2008why, author = {Hendricks, Cheryl}, title = {{Why Zimbabwe Needs a Transitional Government}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/why-zimbabwe-needs-a-transitional-government}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }