Electoral violence in Zimbabwe’ and its impact on social, political and economic stability

Abstract

Electoral violence in Zimbabwe is a known phenomenon that has impacted on the social, political, and economic stability in a severe manner. Since 1980, when the country gained independence from the British colonial, the Republic of Zimbabwe has been governed by an authoritarian dictatorship. The genocide that occurred during Zimbabwe's first election for independence in 1980, as well as the purported reported electoral violence incidences that have been recorded in every election in Zimbabwe from 2000 to 2018, support this claim. This study explores the electoral violence in Zimbabwe and its impact on social, political, and economic stability. It is a qualitative study that employed Interviews to explore the electoral violence in Zimbabwe’ and its impacts on social, political, and economic stability. The findings of this study showed that there is persistent electoral violence in Zimbabwe because ZANU-PF brutalises opposition party members and supporters so that it remains in power. The findings also showed that the ruling party uses electoral violence to scare citizens and instill fear in them causing the citizens to involuntarily vote for the party. Thus, ZANU-PF use violence to subdue people and manipulate elections. Socially, the study found that electoral violence has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, particularly those in urban areas. Politically, the study also found that opposition supporters live in fear of ZANU-PF and its thugs who masquerade as police and army officials. Political parties no longer hold rallies freely and are not allowed by the partisan police to gather. Economically, the study found that the country’s economy has declined, with industries closing or scaling down their operations due to violence and intimidations. Companies are forced to donate large sums of money to fund ZANU-PF activities which has also contributed to the recession in the economic activities.