The Role of the Opposition Political Parties in facilitating Change in Zimbabwe between 1999 and 2010

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the role of the opposition political formations in Zimbabwe in facilitating changes between 1999 and 2010, which was the period that saw political activism rising beyond the expectations of the government. Apparently, all the other parties had been either neutralized or ‘banned’ before posing any threat to ZANU PF government. The paper that was influenced by the Gramscian Model of Hegemony intended to establish whether the opposition parties were necessary in Zimbabwean politics in as far as influencing democracy is concerned. The paper had been necessitated by the pressure from the civil society and the electorate on government to allow other political players free space.

LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 9(2), 144-158, 2012