Zimbabwe: the one party state issue
“It is pertinent to pose the question: why do most African states adopt a one party state system, as opposed to a multi-party system, at, or soon after independence? This paper attempts to address this issue with particular reference to the Zimbabwean situation. The arguments for a one- party state in Zimbabwe could be that it will promote stability, national unity, economic development and socialism. To bring about the goal of the one-party state, Prime Minister, Robert Mugabe, is seeking to bring opposition groups into an acceptable arrangement with his government, and he intends to build on his existing support base for this purpose. By a ‘one –party state system’, it is understood that a political system relies on a single party to aggregate and articulate national interests in a society. The argument is that if disparate interests are permitted to aggregate ( or collect together), they will automatically clash with other interests. If only one party is allowed to exist, then the various interests will either have to compromise with and accede to single ruling party, or remain without an outlet for expression”.