The ramifications of election violence in Zimbabwe are huge and ongoing, and the loss of lives in the quest for democratic rights might be regarded as the foremost tragedy of post-colonial Zimbabwe. In this book, Vimbai Chaumba Kwashirai examines the prevalence of electoral violence in Zimbabwe from the early 1980s to the present day. With a range of rich examples, Kwashirai offers a nuanced analysis of the overt and covert forms of violence that have pervaded the country's general elections. While remaining attentive to the specifics of the Zimbabwean political landscape, Kwashirai addresses broader debates in African politics, and shows how insidious violence, ethnic tensions and the weakness of opposition parties serve to undermine democracy across Africa. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, he explores the various ways in which violence can be understood and, crucially, how it might be prevented.

Nine contributors offer pioneering work on the scope and nature of electoral violence in Africa; investigate the forms electoral violence takes; and analyze the factors that precipitate, reduce, and prevent violence. The book breaks new ground with findings from the only known dataset of electoral violence in sub-Saharan Africa, spanning 1990 to 2008. Specific case studies of electoral violence in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria provide the context to further understanding the circumstances under which electoral violence takes place, recedes, or recurs.

Multiparty elections have become the bellwether by which all democracies are judged, and the spread of these systems across Africa has been widely hailed as a sign of the continent’s progress towards stability and prosperity. But such elections bring their own challenges, particularly the often intense internecine violence following disputed results. While the consequences of such violence can be profound, undermining the legitimacy of the democratic process and in some cases plunging countries into civil war or renewed dictatorship, little is known about the causes. By mapping, analysing and comparing instances of election violence in different localities across Africa – including Kenya, Ivory Coast and Uganda – this collection of detailed case studies sheds light on the underlying dynamics and sub-national causes behind electoral conflicts, revealing them to be the result of a complex interplay between democratisation and the older, patronage-based system of ‘Big Man’ politics. Essential for scholars and policymakers across the social sciences and humanities interested in democratization, peace-keeping and peace studies, Violence in African Elections provides important insights into why some communities prove more prone to electoral violence than others, offering practical suggestions for preventing violence through improved electoral monitoring, voter education, and international assistance.

Originally published: Sunnyside, Auckland Park, South Africa: Jacana Media, 2011.

This report documents post-election violence that took place immediately following the general election of 2000. The excesses of army personnel are documented in various newspaper reports reproduced in this document.

An analysis of land and natural resource conflict as a source of political violence, focusing on election violence in Kenya.

Volume two of Electoral Politics in Zimbabwe: The 2023 Election and Beyond argues that research into Zimbabwe’s politics is multifaceted and topical, particularly because for more than two decades now, this Southern African state has been dogged by multiple problems including hyperinflation, drought, escalating poverty levels, extremely high unemployment rates and political instabilities. The volume’s overall goal is to ignite intellectual discussions and practical action towards turning the political wheels that have been in place for decades. The first segment examines the interface between gender and electoral politics in Zimbabwe. The second part discusses the role of the media in Zimbabwe’s electoral politics. The third section reflects on the role of traditional leaders and religious discourses in Zimbabwe’s electoral politics. The book will be a key resource to colleges, universities and organisations in Zimbabwe, the Southern Africa region and even beyond.

After years of economic and social crisis, Zimbabweans went to the polls in March 2008 to vote for members of parliament, local government councillors and a president. The ruling ZANU(PF) party's defeat in the 2000 constitutional referendum created shockwaves that echoed into the new millennium. The harmonized March 2008 elections saw the party lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since Independence, and left the hitherto impregnable Robert Mugabe trailing behind Morgan Tsvangirai in the presidential poll. Defying the Winds of Change reviews the social and economic context of the election, its coverage in the media, its legitimacy, and the consequences of the decision to hold a presidential run-off three months later. The intervening period was marked by the worst violence the country had seen in twenty years: many were killed, hundreds injured, thousands displaced. Tsvangirai withdrew from the run-off to prevent even more bloodshed, leaving Mugabe to win a hollow victory in an election that was condemned throughout the world. Defying the Winds of Change is a penetrating analysis of the political turmoil that spawned Zimbabwe's power-sharing government, and laid the foundations for a new political future.