The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front has made history by becoming the first liberation party in Southern Africa to bounce back to power after being defeated by the opposition.
ZANU-PF lost its parliamentary majority in 2008 when the opposition walked away with 110 seats out of 210 and President Robert Mugabe lost the first round of the presidential elections only to bounce back in the re-run after Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out because of violence.
ZANU-PF entered the 2013 elections as an underdog which could only win through rigging but even critics now argue that even with rigging the ZANU-PF victory was just too overwhelming.
As ZANU-PF leader Mugabe said at the launch of his campaign, this was a do or die election for the party because if it had lost it would have been confined to history like its counterparts in Zambia and Malawi.
The ZANU-PF victory has now been confirmed by the withdrawal of the court challenge by MDC leader Tsvangirai yesterday.
The United National Independence Party which led Zambia to independence under Kenneth Kaunda has never recovered following its defeat by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy led by Frederick Chiluba.
Similar fate befell the Malawi Congress Party which led to Malawi’s independence under Hastings Kamuzu Banda but was defeated by Bakili Muluzi of the United Democratic Front.
Liberation parties in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique are yet to lose elections though they have changed leadership.
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