Briefing Paper

Reflections on the 2008 Zimbabwe Elections

“This analysis seeks to explore how the 2008
elections in Zimbabwe remained central in addressing and/or worsening the persisting political and economic landscape in Zimbabwe and its impact on regional peace and security in southern Africa and the rest of the continent. That will be done in the context of continued tensions over political transition in Zimbabwe, especially in the aftermath of the 2002 and the 2008 elections. The controversies around the 2008 elections will be used to illustrate how the political governance and possible political transition in Zimbabwe had been converted to a matter of life and death for both the ruling party and the opposition and how that drew the attention of the international community.”