Zimbabwe Decides 2013

Britain, the US and the EU imposed sanctions on President Mugabe and his allies in response to accusations of human rights abuses. The International Monetary Fund cut off its financial assistance to the country and the EU terminated support to all projects in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980. A tobacco and wheat producer, it was the only regional player able to send food to Ethiopia during the drought of the 1980s. Zimbabwe's economy was flourishing, its people were well educated and richer than their regional neighbors. But the country's agriculture-based economy nose-dived when land reforms were introduced in 2000.

The government seized almost all white-owned commercial farms with the aim of redistributing them to black Zimbabweans. The economy went into decline. Agricultural production dropped by half and inflation scaled dizzy heights, leading to shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Zimbabweans blamed government land reforms, while Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party blamed drought and western sanctions.

Despite a shaky political climate, Zimbabwe's economy started to show signs of recovery in 2008. Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate has remained below five percent since the country dumped the over-inflated Zimbabwean dollar for the US dollar and the South African rand in 2009.

Zimbabwe held presidential, parliamentary and local elections in March 2008. Morgan Tsvangirai's opposition party released its own results tally, indicating a win for their candidate. Tsvangirai was forced to flee the country days later when a plot to kill him was made public. Mugabe refused to accept defeat and stand down. International pressure resulted in a run-off election being called.

Until the 2008 election, President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF ruled Zimbabwe under what was effectively a one party system. Mugabe's decision not to accept defeat after his rival Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party secured a majority triggered outbreaks of violence in the country.

Amid pressure from international leaders, Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing deal. Mugabe would remain president, with some power ceded to Tsvangirai, who would serve as the country's prime minister. MDC President Arthur Mutambara would act as deputy prime minister. In the lead up to the July 31 election, Tsvangirai told Zimbabwean media he will not work with Mugabe again.

Despite an abundance of natural resources such as platinum, coal, iron ore, gold and diamonds, the majority of Zimbabweans live on less than $1.25 (96 euro cents) a day. Eighty-percent of Zimbabweans live below the poverty line and unemployment stands at a record 92 percent.

The Marange diamond fields were discovered in 2006 and have been described as the richest in the world. But due to corruption, it appears only the country's elite are benefiting from Zimbabwe's abundance of natural resources. According to the diamond trade watchdog Partnership Africa-Canada (PAC), the sum of two billion dollars has been appropriated by senior government officials in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe still suffers from social inequality, human rights abuses and a lack of media freedom. In 2011, 46 human rights activists were arrested for allegedly inciting people to demonstrate against the government. They had played video footage of the Arab Spring uprising.

Some 95-percent of people eligible to vote in the country's constitutional referendum approved the changes. New laws would curtail some of President Mugabe's powers - but not stop him from standing again at the July election. While the new charter sets a maximum of two five-year terms for the president, it is not retroactive.

As a reward for Zimbabwe's peaceful referendum, the European Union announced it would lift some of the sanctions on the African country. However, President Robert Mugabe and several companies remain on the list. The EU first imposed sanctions, which include an EU travel ban, in 2002 in response to human rights abuses and vote rigging.