Zimbabwean Post-electoral Political Crisis (2008)

After removing the white minority-ruled ‘Rhodesia’ from the map and establishing the state of Zimbabwe in 1980, the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) took power. Its long-time leader, Robert Mugabe, acted as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987, and then took over the Presidency. He centralised power and, throughout the 1990s, established an authoritarian state. After suffering a near defeat by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the 2008 elections, the ZANU-PF launched an intimidation campaign against the unarmed opposition, which lead to numerous Human Rights violations, widespread torture and disappearances. Under strong international pressure Mugabe entered negotiations with the opposition, a Global Political Agreement was signed by him and the representatives of the two major wings of the MDC in September 2008.