This paper focuses on a comparison of the GNU’s of Kenya and Zimbabwe and their ability to implement reform in preparation for elections. This discussion is based on issues central to the democratic crises for credible and legitimate elections that the GNU’s have attempted to address, namely; single party dominance, institutional capacity and electoral processes. Each topic is discussed by considering the crosscutting context-specific issues of the legislative framework, election credibility, the advantage of the incumbent administration and political violence. It is generally considered that Kenya has achieved the necessary reform to conduct legitimate and credible elections and that Zimbabwe has not, therefore the point of departure for this discussion is the state of reform in Kenya, to which the situation in Zimbabwe is compared.

Click on the above link to download the article.