{UAH} Zimbabwe's Dying Dictatorship

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/africa/2016-07-10/zimbabwes-dying-dictatorship?cid=soc-fb-rdr

Zimbabwe's Dying Dictatorship

The Country Prepares for Life After Mugabe

By Michael Bratton and Eldred Masunungure

In 2016, as President Robert Mugabe celebrates his 92nd birthday and 36th year in power, Zimbabwe stands on the brink of another meltdown. The country's current economic insecurity and political conflict are reminiscent of 2000–08, when hyperinflation and electoral violence were rife. This time, however, the stakes are even higher as a floundering authoritarian regimefaces a leadership succession with little clear guidance on how to navigate the transition.

From its independence in 1980 to 2009, Zimbabwe was dominated by Mugabe's party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). A strong showing by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the 2008 general election led to the country's first-ever coalition government in 2009. But that government fell with the controversial 2013 elections, which were decided in favor of the ZANU-PF by implausibly large margins. Now unrivaled once more, the ruling party has failed to offer anything in the way of economic or political reforms. But, if anything, recent electoral success has weakened the ZANU-PF by concentrating political competition within it.

As if struggles within the ZANU-PF over the succession to the presidency weren't bad enough, Mugabe's advanced age and failing health have also left him increasingly unable to control events. And so the country is transfixed by a macabre death watch and an internecine power struggle, and the longer they go on, the more likely that any political transition will be unpredictable, disorderly, and perhaps even violent.

The country is transfixed by a macabre death watch and an internecine power struggle, and the longer they go on, the more likely that any transition will be unpredictable.

HARD TIMES

--

"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com