The political framework of Zimbabwe

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA (since 4 September 2023)
Vice President: Constantino CHIWENGA (since 4 September 2023)
Second Vice-President: Kembo MOHADI (8 September 2023)

Next Election Dates

General elections: 2028

Main Political Parties

Zimbabwe has a multi-party system, though a handful of larger parties typically dominate politics. The main political parties in the country include:

The African National Union of Zimbabwe - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF): left, ruling party, nationalist and populist, heir to the liberation movements that fought the apartheid regime of Ian Smith, led by Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T): centre-left, social democracy, named after former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai; significantly weakened in recent years and eclipsed by the CCC.Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC): centre-left, social democracy, founded in 2022 by Nelson Chamisa after a split from the MDC Alliance; following Chamisa’s resignation in January 2024 amid claims of infiltration by the ruling party, the CCC has experienced internal leadership disputes, with figures such as Lynette Karenyi-Kore and Jameson Timba emerging.

Executive Power

Executive power is held by the President, the head of state and the head of government, who is elected for a five-year term. The President appoints the members of his Cabinet. The President is elected by direct universal suffrage and is assisted by a Vice-President. Under the new constitution, adopted after the presidential elections of 2013, the post of Prime Minister has been abolished.

Legislative Power

The legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament consisting of a Senate (80 seats - 60 members elected by popular vote for a five-year term, 18 traditional chiefs elected by the Council of Chiefs, and 2 seats for people with disabilities) and an Assembly (280 seats - 210 members elected by popular vote for a five-year term to represent single-member constituencies, 60 seats reserved for women, who are elected by proportional representation in 10 six-seat constituencies, and 10 additional seats reserved for candidates aged between 21 and 35 directly elected by proportional representation).