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Financing political parties in Africa: the case of Zimbabwe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2021

Chipo Dendere
Chipo Dendere*
Affiliation:
Wellesley College, 21 Wellesley College Road, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
*
Email: cd1@wellesley.edu
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Abstract

What is the impact of access to political party finance – money that parties use to fund their campaign activities – on politics in Africa? While multiparty elections have become more regular in the developing world, many opposition parties are still failing to win elections. This paper argues that poor access to political finance weakens democratic consolidation and negatively impacts the participation of less-resourced candidates who are unable to self-fund. As a result, opposition parties are forced to rely on weak promises of aid from international donors and unreliable state funding. This in-depth analysis of political finance, based on extensive interviews with politicians and government officials in Zimbabwe, political documents, news reports and a review of court cases, reveals that uneven financing has weakened opposition parties and serves as an extra advantage for incumbents.

Keywords

Political financeAfricapublic fundingprivate fundingvote buyingcampaign donations
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 59 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 295 - 317
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Interviews

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Interview with Tendai Biti, MDC party official (was with a different party at the time), 2017.Google Scholar
Interview with Nick Mangwana who was ZANU PF United Kingdom Branch Chairperson at the time, 2017.Google Scholar
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Interview with MDC MP for a seat in the Manicaland Region, 2017.Google Scholar
Interview with Former ZANU PF youth candidate, 2017.Google Scholar