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1 1 (November 27, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbqy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: -' .r~ ......... Zimbabwe: A Continuing Crisis An enduring, six-year economic crisis in Zimbabwe has intensified since national elections in July 2018, won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). The dire economic situation has prompted public discontent, strikes, protests, and, in early 2019, days of riots. In response, state security forces have violently repressed demonstrations and arrested civil society activists. Since early 2019, the state has also pursued a dialogue with the political opposition, but only minor parties have participated. The Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC), the largest opposition party, has refused to participate unless the state ends its repression and alleged breaches of the rule of law. The MDC also insists that any dialogue be convened by an independent mediator; it contends that the Mnangagwa government is illegitimate and responsible for what the MDC calls a political crisis. Bac kground President Mnangagwa (muh-nahn-GAHG-wah) assumed power in November 2017, after ZANU-PF chose him as its party leader. He succeeded President Robert Mugabe, a semi-authoritarian who had led Zimbabwe and ZANU-PF since independence from the United Kingdom in 1980. Mugabe resigned under pressure from ZANU-PF following a military intervention in politics aimed at ousting him. This intervention was spurred by intra-ZANU-PF rivalry- notably over who would succeed Mugabe as president and party leader-and followed Mugabe's dismissal of Mnangagwa as vice president and Mugabe's sidelining of a party faction aligned with Mnangagwa and the military. Zirmb'wzvc- Under Mnangagwi Upon taking office, Mnangagwa pledged to pursue a range of economic and political reforms-notably free and fair elections-and asserted that Zimbabwe was open for business. This raised hopes for an end to years of deep economic malaise and an abiding pattern of human rights violations and undemocratic governance under Mugabe. Such changes are key U.S. goals under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (ZDERA; see text box), but to date the Mnangagwa administration has not pursued a course of action that would satisfy the requirements of ZDERA. State constraints on freedoms of assembly and expression declined in advance of the 2018 elections, and Mnangagwa's administration recorded some moderate progress toward some of his 2017 reform pledges. Since the election, however, there has been a marked deterioration in economic and political conditions and a rise in civil and human rights abuses by security forces. 201,' 8 El ect0ion The pre-poll electoral process featured some improvements over past elections, but domestic and international election observers and the MDC identified multiple serious flaws. Their findings indicate that the poll did not meet Updated November 27, 2019 international standards in many respects. Mnangagwa won the presidential race, with 50.6% of votes, and took office in late August 2018 after the MDC, citing alleged irregularities, unsuccessfully sued to nullify the election. ZANU-PF won 180 seats in the 270-seat National Assembly and the MDC won 87 seats. U.S. Policy and Congressional Role ZDERA (P.L. 107-99) frames U.S. policy toward Zimbabwe. It prohibited U.S. support for multilateral debt relief and credit for Zimbabwe's government pending free and fair elections, credible land reform, security force subordination to civilian leaders, and restoration of the rule of law-notably regarding civil freedoms and property rights. It also called for U.S. financial and travel sanctions against persons who undermine the rule of law or abet political violence. Such sanctions were later imposed and remain in effect. Public corruption was later added as a designation criteria. In annual appropriations laws Congress also has conditioned and restricted aid to Zimbabwe's government, which is subject to a U.S. defense items and services export ban. In 2018, Congress passed the ZDERA Amendment Act of 2018 (P.L. 1 15-231). It retained ZDERA's core provisions, and raised the prospect of stronger bilateral political, trade, and investment ties if Zimbabwe's government implements existing ZDERA criteria and takes tangible steps to carry out economic reforms, recover stolen public assets, and ensure good governance, including respect for the opposition, rule of law, and human rights. P.L. 1 15-231 also called on the government to take various actions to ensure free, fair, and credible elections and to align the legal code with the 2013 constitution. Repres sion ISince the 20I8 Elections On August 1, 2018, two days after the vote, protests broke out in Harare, the capital, amid MDC demands for the release of presidential vote results. Some protesters engaged in violent acts (e.g., arson). After police failed to control the crowds, military reinforcements fatally shot six protesters. In succeeding days, soldiers, other state agents, and unidentified attackers beat, harassed, and detained numerous opposition supporters, prompting several senior MDC leaders to unsuccessfully seek asylum in neighboring Zambia. Some of these leaders were later tried on charges such as public violence and illegal declarations of election results. In subsequent months, the state arrested and brought questionable charges against multiple state critics, journalists, and trade unionists and, in one case, police beat MDC members of parliament. A commission of inquiry probed the August 2018 killings and issued a report in late 2019, but little has been done to respond to its findings. In January 2019, amid rapid inflation and widespread fuel and cash shortages, Mnangagwa abruptly raised fuel prices by 150%, sparking protests, which devolved into three days of widespread riots and looting. In response, security forces arbitrarily detained, beat, and, in some cases, tortured protesters and opposition activists. Security forces also shot gm 100 ILI

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