2 POWER, POWER SHIFTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE INCLUSIVE GOVERNMENT 2.1 Power-sharing – main trends (18) 2.2 Assessments of power-sharing in the inclusive government (19) Centres of power and shifting power in the IG (20) Parties benefitting from involvement in the IG (21) 2.3 Performance of the Inclusive Government (22) 2.4 Trust in prevailing state and political institutions (23) 2.5 Zimbabwe’s general direction – and country versus personal economic conditions (24) The games of the powerful in Zimbabwe entered a new phase with the (post-2008 election) commencement of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and Inclusive Government (IG). The IG, an interim measure, was envisaged to lead to the follow-up phase of a new constitution, renewed elections and the installation of a democratically elected, legitimate and lawful government. The IG hence became an important launch pad for a next round of power manoeuvres – ranging from entrenchment in power to efforts to gain power enough power to unseat the incumbent. This report’s findings attest to a complex – and often contradicted – process of transition. There were increasing frustrations about the transformation shortfalls and the frequently slow pace of change. The IG was credited with bringing vast change to the living conditions of Zimbabweans – and it was the MDCT that was receiving most of the praise for positive change. Yet, as the engine of change seemed to be running short of steam, and the constitutional transformation process was too low-key to set a faster and specifically benchmarked pace, Zimbabweans started exploring ways to help propel them out of the quagmire of contemporary Zimbabwe. 2.1 Power-sharing – main trends Zimbabweans as represented in this survey are ambiguous about the power-sharing arrangements that have epitomised the Inclusive Government (IG) arrangement between the three main parties. There is little doubt that governance has improved, yet it remained contested as to how the IG had been impacting on power relations between the parties. The main trends identified by the survey respondents, December 2010, were: Power resides with the president [Q10] – ‘Only: with the president’: 28%; ‘mostly with the president’: 47%; total: 75%. Zimbabweans are divided on whether ZANU-PF has been shedding power – 35% believe it has; 45% believe it has not [Q18A.] 18