Zimbabwe's struggle for democracy with McDonald Lewanika

Rules of the Game – discussing democratic institutions

Political institutions and power have been changing in Zimbabwe since Robert Mugabe took power as a liberator from colonial oppression in the year 1980. The image of the liberator Robert Mugabe speaking to the public in 1987 is also one of McDonald Lewanika's early childhood memories of politics.

While the electoral institutions were more proportional and inclusive in the early 1980s, the dominant ruling party ZANU-PF changed the rules of the game over time to tighten its grip on power. McDonald Lewanika explains why and where political power is concentrated in today’s Zimbabwe and how ZANU-PF was able to consolidate political power at the expense of the opposing political parties and the citizens of Zimbabwe.

Dr. McDonald Lewanika is a politics and development researcher with over 17 years of experience as a human rights defender, democracy and governance practitioner and civil society leader in Zimbabwe and southern Africa. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with McDonald Lewanika.

Find out more about his work on https://mlewanika.academia.edu/

Find him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Makil

Find the show notes and full transcript of the episode here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/zimbabwes-struggle-for-democracy/