A majority of Zimbabwean citizens say that the main opposition political parties should be brought into government to form a coalition with the ruling party in order to solve the country’s political and economic problems, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows. Support for a coalition government is the majority position among adherents of both the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC-Chamisa parties, as well as among residents of all provinces.
Key findings
- Two-thirds (66%) of Zimbabweans “agree” or “strongly agree” that the main opposition political parties should be brought into government to form a coalition with the ruling party in order to solve the country’s political and economic problems.
- Support for a coalition government is somewhat stronger among men (68%) than women (63%) and among young (65%) and middle-aged citizens (68%) than among older respondents (60%). But majorities in all key demographic groups favour the idea.
- A coalition government wins majority support in all provinces, ranging from 58% in Bulawayo/Matabeleland North/Matabeleland South to 76% in Manicaland. Even among respondents who say they “feel close” to the ruling ZANU-PF, a majority (52%) endorse the idea of a coalition government, which wins two-thirds support (66%) among those close to the MDC-Chamisa.
Read the full survey report here (157KB PDF)
Source: Mass Public Opinion Institute
