Zimbabwe’s general election is still a year away, but democracy advocates say they are worried that last weekend’s by-elections offered a preview of the violence and repression to come.
Despite that, the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change party came out of the vote oozing with confidence, saying nothing can stop it from forming the next national government.
It won 19 out of 28 parliamentary seats that were up for grabs, with the ruling ZANU-PF taking nine, mainly rural constituencies.
However, the run-up to the by-elections was marred by violence, with one opposition supporter stabbed to death — in the back — during