Unpacking Organized Violence in Elections in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of Mutasa South & Central Constituencies By-Elections, March 2022
This study analyzes by-elections that were held on March 26, 2022, in Mutasa South Constituency and Ward 15 Bethania in Mutasa Central. Based on research in those two areas, the paper describes the operational context in which the elections were conducted, including a conscious endeavor to determine the use of organized violence in elections as a tactic. The research is based on the experiences of voters in the two seats and hence does not purport to reflect the national viewpoint. However, the style and structure of organized violence in rural areas witnessed in Mutasa Central Ward 15 are a microcosm of a larger electoral strategy in response to the opposition challenge ahead of the 2023 national elections.
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