Paper short abstract:

This paper explores competing narratives of legitimacy between political opposition and the military in Zimbabwe. Both have made strong claims to political legitimacy since 1999, which have shaped civil-military relations signficantly.

Paper long abstract:

Zimbabwe's main opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the country's military have staked competing claims to political legitimacy since 1999. The MDC views itself as successor to what it considers a failed post-independence nationalist project. This view has been met with resistance from the military, which regards itself as the rightful heir to political authority, owing to the participation of its leadership in the 1970s liberation war. Drawing on interviews with military and opposition elites this paper critically unpacks these claims to political legitimacy and examines the implications for civil-military relations in Zimbabwe.