The prevailing political and economic challenges manifesting in Zimbabwe clearly points to a country trapped in a political transition, Zimbabwe Democracy Institute has said.
In its 2017 political economy review titled Democracy is contested but change takes place in this space; Zimbabwe’s Undying Hope, Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI) noted that political transition is a national problem, which requires national interrogation through research and policy analysis to inform public policy interventions.
“In the context of an intriguing succession crisis in ZANU PF that appears to be influenced by the apparent vacuum that is a result of President Mugabe’s old age and the attendant economic crisis, it is important to revisit the democratic debate and discourse in order to give credence and hope that a democratic and constitutional transition is a critical trajectory for the stability of Zimbabwe,” noted ZDI.
The political think-tank organisation added that for the past 17 years, Zimbabwe has been gradually undergoing a political and economic transition punctuated by a significant informalization of the economy and contested democratization.
“For the past 17 years, Zimbabwe has been gradually undergoing a political and economic transition in a fundamentally shifting political economy set up, punctuated by a significant informalization of the economy and contested democratization.
“Politically, the regaining of political hegemony by ZANU PF in July 2013 marking the expiry of the government of national unity with the opposition MDC marked a new political dispensation.
“The succession question in ZANU PF, which became more pronounced after the July 2013 election, has a critical national issue that requires an inclusive approach by the democratic contingent. The feebleness of the opposition in the post July 2013 era has necessitated inward orientation on the part of ZANU PF where succession politics and alleged factionalism have taken centre stage.
“The effects of this factionalism were epitomized in the run-up to, during and after the December 2014 ZANU PF congress. The congress resulted in the expulsion from both government and the party of high-ranking officials such as vice president and second secretary Joice Mujuru, political commissar Webster Shamu, other politburo members such as Nicholas Goche; all but one provincial chairperson and numerous provincial officials,” said ZDI.
The organization added that the fundamental and critical idea is to influence a political transition that is peaceful a democratic and underpinned by the supremacy of the rule of law with little potential for possible degeneration into unlawful and violent activities that can destabilize the state.
