Through all of Zimbabwe’s political and economic troubles, Mugabe retained the support of many African heads of state and remained popular within ZANU-PF. In December 2007 the party endorsed Mugabe as its presidential candidate in the 2008 elections. However, as the country continued its downward spiral in the months leading up to the elections, support for Mugabe appeared to waver: former finance minister and ZANU-PF stalwart Simba Makoni announced that he was running against Mugabe for the presidency, and the MDC, with Tsvangirai as its presidential candidate once again, saw its popularity increase throughout the country, even in areas that were typically ZANU-PF strongholds. As the elections drew near, both opposition candidates and their followers were subject to harassment and attacks by the police and ZANU-PF loyalists.

Presidential, parliamentary, and local elections were held on March 29, 2008. Unofficial preliminary results indicated a favourable outcome for Tsvangirai and the MDC, but, as days passed with only a slow, partial release of parliamentary results (and the complete absence of presidential results), many feared that Mugabe and ZANU-PF were manipulating the outcome of the elections in their favour. The MDC released its own accounting of the presidential election results on April 2, which indicated that Tsvangirai had captured slightly more than half the votes; the MDC’s claims were dismissed by ZANU-PF, and the country continued to wait for official results. Later that day, results indicated that Tsvangirai’s faction of the MDC had won the most seats in the House of Assembly. Senate results announced several days later revealed a split between the MDC and ZANU-PF, with the latter receiving an only slightly larger share of the votes. The final results for the presidential contest were not officially released until May 2, when it was announced that Tsvangirai had garnered more votes (47.9 percent) than Mugabe (43.2 percent), but, since Tsvangirai had not secured a majority of the votes, a runoff election would be necessary, which was later scheduled for June 27.

In the weeks leading up to the runoff election, MDC supporters were harassed and victimized by violent attacks, which the MDC asserted were sponsored by the ZANU-PF-led government; the government in turn claimed that the MDC was responsible for the violence. An increasingly tense climate was further heightened by several government actions, including the detention of Mutambara, Tsvangirai, and several other MDC officials and supporters, as well as several diplomats from the United Kingdom and the United States who were in the midst of investigating reports of preelection violence, the suspension of all humanitarian aid operations in the country, and statements from Mugabe implying that he would not cede power to the opposition if he lost the runoff election. As the politically motivated violence, intimidation, and rhetoric continued, on June 22 Tsvangirai announced that he was withdrawing from the election, citing the impossibility of it being free and fair in the country’s current political climate. Nevertheless, the election was still held, and Mugabe was declared the winner despite assertions from independent observers that the election was neither free nor fair.

The fact that the election was even held—as well as the outcome—prompted widespread international condemnation, most notably from some of the governments of African countries that had previously supported Mugabe, and there were calls for the MDC and ZANU-PF to form a power-sharing government. To that end, SADC-led talks, again facilitated by Mbeki, were held with ZANU-PF and the two factions of the MDC. Although the parties were able to reach a consensus regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to direct the terms and scope of the discussion, an agreement regarding a new power-sharing government did not progress as quickly. Meanwhile, Mugabe announced that he intended to convene parliament on August 26, 2008. This announcement was met with protest from the MDC and others who complained that doing so before a power-sharing agreement was reached contradicted the terms of the MOU. Nonetheless, parliament was convened per Mugabe’s directive. Notably, however, the House of Assembly speaker was elected from Tsvangirai’s faction of the MDC—the first time since the country’s independence in 1980 that the speaker position was held by an opposition party member.

SADC-led negotiations for a power-sharing government continued, and on September 15, 2008, Mugabe, Mutambara, and Tsvangirai signed a comprehensive power-sharing agreement—referred to as the Global Political Agreement (GPA). As part of the agreement, Mugabe would remain president but would cede some power to Tsvangirai, who would serve as prime minister; Mutambara would serve as a deputy prime minister. Initial jubilation quickly turned to disappointment in the following months when it became clear that Mugabe and Tsvangirai could not come to terms on how to implement the agreement, arguing over how to allocate the new government’s key ministries between ZANU-PF and the MDC. Stalled talks and repeated attempts by the SADC to get discussions back on track continued against a backdrop of worsening economic and humanitarian conditions in the country. Rampant inflation continued, with official estimates at more than 200 million percent (unofficial estimates were much higher), and there were severe food shortages. The country’s municipal and health services, lacking the funds and supplies to function adequately, rapidly deteriorated, and this fueled a deadly cholera epidemic. (See also cholera: Modern epidemics in Africa for more detail.) Dozens of MDC supporters, human rights activists, and reporters had disappeared; the MDC alleged that they had been abducted by ZANU-PF- and government-allied forces. International support for continued negotiations for the power-sharing government began to wane, with some critics calling for Mugabe to step down from power; he adamantly refused to do so and later announced his intention to form a government on his own if Tsvangirai and the MDC would not participate. In late January 2009 Tsvangirai—under pressure from the SADC—agreed to join Mugabe in a new government, despite lingering misgivings. On February 5, 2009, Zimbabwe’s legislature passed the necessary constitutional amendment that altered the structure of the executive branch, allowing for the creation of the prime minister and deputy prime minister posts. On February 11, 2009, Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister, and Thokozani Khupe, of Tsvangirai’s faction of the MDC, and Mutambara were sworn in as deputy prime ministers.

The new government soon made efforts to improve the country’s poor economic situation. In April 2009 it suspended the Zimbabwean dollar and allowed various foreign currencies, notably the South African rand and the U.S. dollar, to be used instead, which served to help halt inflation and foster economic stability. Restructuring programs were introduced in the agricultural and mining sectors, and these programs as well as an improvement in global prices for some of Zimbabwe’s exports contributed to economic growth in the following years.

The economic achievements notwithstanding, the unity government was a troubled one: the MDC factions and ZANU-PF struggled to agree on many issues, and Tsvangirai denounced ongoing human rights violations. Under the terms of the 2008 GPA, a new constitution was initially expected to have been drafted and put to referendum by 2011. However, the drafting process was fraught with difficulties and hindered by disagreements between ZANU-PF and the MDC factions, and the draft constitution was not completed until early 2013. Endorsed by both Tsvangirai’s faction of the MDC and ZANU-PF, it provided for many changes, including the devolution of power, the introduction of presidential term limits, and the termination of the prime minister post; it also barred any further legal challenges concerning farms previously seized under the government’s land reform program. In a referendum held on March 16, 2013, the draft constitution was overwhelmingly approved by voters, and in May that year it was approved by both houses of parliament and signed into law by Mugabe.