The politics of Zimbabwe occurs in a society deeply divided along lines of race, ethnicity, gender and geography. The ZANU–PF party has historically been dominant in Zimbabwe politics. The party, which was led by Robert Mugabe from 1980 to 2017, has used the powers of the state to intimidate, imprison and otherwise hobble political opposition in Zimbabwe, as well as use state funds and state media to advance the interests of the party.
The Zimbabwe government consists of an elected head of state, the president, and a legislature. The presidential term lasts for 5 years, and is elected by majority, with a second round if no candidate receives a majority in the first round. The Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the House of Assembly and Senate. Following the 2013 constitution, the House of Assembly has 270 members. 210 are elected for five-year terms by single-member constituencies. Furthermore, the constitution specifies that for the two first parliaments, there are 60 additional seats reserved for women, 6 seats per province, which are filled based on the votes for in the single-member constituencies, using party-list proportional representation, distributed using the largest remainder method and the hare quota. The Senate has 80 members: 60 are elected for five-year terms in 6-member constituencies representing one of the 10 provinces, elected based on the votes in the lower house election, using party-list proportional representation, distributed using the hare quota. Additionally the senate consists of 2 seats for each non-metropolitan district of Zimbabwe elected by each provincial assembly of chiefs using SNTV, 1 seat each for the president and deputy president of the National Council of Chiefs and 1 male and 1 female seat for people with disabilities elected on separate ballots using FPTP by an electoral college designated by the National Disability Board.
Parliamentary elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 March 2005 to elect members to the Zimbabwe House of Assembly. All of the 120 elected seats in the 150-seat House of Assembly were up for election. There were a further 20 members appointed by the President and ten elected by traditional chiefs, who mostly support the government. Electoral colleges for the election of the ten chiefs to the parliament were to be held on 8 April.
Roy Leslie Bennett was a Zimbabwean politician and member of the British South Africa Police. He was also a member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for the seat of Chimanimani, where he was affectionately known as Pachedu. He was the Treasurer of the Movement for Democratic Change party led by Morgan Tsvangirai and a member of the Senate of Zimbabwe. He was set to become the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Zimbabwe until President Robert Mugabe refused to swear him in.
Paul Themba Nyathi is a Zimbabwean opposition politician, the director of elections for the Arthur Mutambara-led faction of the Movement for Democratic Change and a member of the Pan-African Parliament from Zimbabwe.
Gibson Jama Sibanda was a Zimbabwean politician and trade unionist. He was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change and at the time of his death was the Vice-President of the faction of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Arthur Mutambara. A former president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, he was first elected to the House of Assembly in the 2000 parliamentary election. He was a member of the Senate and a Minister of State in the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara at the time of his death in 2010.
Professor Arthur G.O. Mutambara is a multifaceted leader, academic, and technology expert currently serving as the Director and Full Professor of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge (IFK) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa. Renowned for his expertise in robotics, academia, Pan-Africanism, and technology strategy, he is a pivotal figure in shaping the future of knowledge and technological advancement. At IFK, Professor Mutambara leads the Decentralized Artificial Intelligence and Control Systems (DAICS) Research Group, driving groundbreaking research initiatives. He also spearheads the African Agency in Public Health (AAPH) initiative within the Future of Health (FoH) Research Group, demonstrating his commitment to leveraging technology for societal well-being. In addition to his academic responsibilities, Professor Mutambara is deeply involved in teaching Control Systems at both UJ's Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Departments, imparting knowledge and fostering innovation among students.
Lottie Gertrude Stevenson was a Zimbabwean ambassador and politician. She was a member of parliament for Harare North in the Parliament of Zimbabwe. She was also a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of Zimbabwe, the first white woman to be voted into the MDC National Executive and, during her tenure, the country's only white female Member of Parliament.
Thokozani Khupe is a Zimbabwean politician, trade unionist and CCC party member. She was Deputy Prime Minister 2009–13.
Lovemore Moyo is a Zimbabwean politician who was Speaker of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe from 2008 to 2013. He was the National Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T) party led by Morgan Tsvangirai from 2006 to 2018.
Zimbabwe began experiencing a period of considerable political and economic upheaval in 1999. Opposition to President Mugabe and the ZANU-PF government grew considerably after the mid-1990s in part due to worsening economic and human rights conditions. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was established in September 1999 as an opposition party founded by trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai.
Edna Madzongwe is a Zimbabwean politician who was the President of the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe from 2005 to 2018.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was a Zimbabwean political party organised under the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai. The MDC was formed in 1999 as an opposition party to President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF). The MDC was made up of many civic groups who campaigned for the "No" vote in the 2000 constitutional referendum, which would limit a president's service to two terms, before the introduction of a prime minister, as well as giving legal immunities to the state.
The 7th Parliament of Zimbabwe was a meeting of the Zimbabwean Parliament, composed of the Senate and the House of Assembly. It met in Harare over five sessions from 25 August 2008 to 27 June 2013. Its membership was set by the disputed 2008 Zimbabwean general election, which resulted in a ZANU–PF majority in the Senate and Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai control of the House of Assembly. Political negotiations resulted in the 2009 Government of National Unity, a coalition government composed of ZANU–PF, the MDC–T, and the MDC–M.
The Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T) is a centre-left political party and was the main opposition party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe ahead of the 2018 elections. After the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005, the MDC–T remained the major opposition faction, while a smaller faction, the Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube, or MDC–N, was led by Welshman Ncube.
The Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube (MDC–N) was a Zimbabwean political party led by politician and attorney Welshman Ncube. It was founded in 2005 when the Movement for Democratic Change split apart and in the 2008 general election, it was known as the Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara (MDC–M) in contrast to the larger Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T). The MDC–N and the MDC–T operated as separate opposition parties until their re-unification in 2018. The re-united party now operates under the original name, the MDC.
General elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 July 2013. Incumbent President Robert Mugabe was re-elected, whilst his ZANU–PF party won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
General elections were held in Zimbabwe on 29 March 2008 to elect the President and Parliament. Because of Zimbabwe's dire economic situation, the elections were expected to provide incumbent President Robert Mugabe with his toughest electoral challenge to date. Mugabe's opponents were critical of the handling of the electoral process, and the government was accused of planning to rig the election. Human Rights Watch said that the election was likely to be "deeply flawed."
General elections were held in Zimbabwe on 30 July 2018 to elect the President and members of both houses of Parliament. Held eight months after the 2017 coup d'état, the election was the first since independence in which former President Robert Mugabe was not a candidate.
