Is Harare the least democratic province in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, which is a metropolitan province, is the least democratic province in the country. It has the lowest number of people in favour of multi-party democracy, according to the latest survey by Afrobarometer.

In the survey, carried out in June, respondents were asked: “Which of these statements is closest to your view?

“Statement 1: Political parties create division and confusion; it is therefore unnecessary to have many political parties in Zimbabwe. 

“Statement 2: Many political parties are needed to make sure that Zimbabweans have real choices in who governs them.” 

On average 68% of the respondents agreed with Statement 2. In Harare, however, only 59% agreed with the statement while 85% agreed with it in Mashonaland West.

Harare has been dominated by the opposition since 2000 when the opposition Movement for Democratic Change won all the seats in the capital.

Bulawayo, which has been in the hands of the opposition from independence except for the years under which the country was virtually a one-party state after the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front merged with the Zimbabwe African People’s Union, came second after Mashonaland West with 72%.

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