The article is mainly concerned about analyzing the factors behind the formation and rise of MDC
in Zimbabwe body politic. Some scholars and ZANU-PF political elite view MDC as a foreign
project sponsored by the Americans and the British. Therefore, they largely believe that MDC is a
party without African interests at heart. Other scholars believed that MDC is simply an internal
creation that was consummated as a result of ZANU-PF’s complete failure in regard to economic
management and governance crisis. However, in the end MDC was as a result of both internal and
external factors. Among the factors considered in this paper they range from political, economic,
social as well as international forces. However, it is the contention of this paper that the democratic
and human rights abuses by the state as well as internal economic crisis in Zimbabwe contributed
much to the emergence and rise of MDC in Zimbabwe
Keywords: Democracy, MDC, Opposition politics, ZANU-PF, political party, ruling party
