Editing Politics of Zimbabwe

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Politics of Zimbabwe}}{{Update|date=March 2025}}
The '''politics of [[Zimbabwe]]''' occurs in a society deeply divided along lines of race, ethnicity, gender and geography.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last1=Gloppen |first1=Siri |title=Zimbabwe |date=2023 |work=Democratic Backsliding in Africa? |pages=235–257 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/oso/9780192867322.003.0010 |isbn=978-0-19-286732-2 |last2=Hinfelaar |first2=Marja |last3=Rakner |first3=Lise|doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.12657/60999 }}</ref> The [[ZANU–PF]] party has historically been dominant in Zimbabwe politics.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />

Per the 2013 [[Constitution of Zimbabwe|Constitution]], Zimbabwe is a full [[presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]], whereby the [[President of Zimbabwe|President]] is the [[head of state]] and [[head of government|government]]. [[Executive (government)|Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislature|Legislative power]] is vested in both the government and [[Parliament of Zimbabwe|parliament]]. The status of Zimbabwean politics has been thrown into question by a [[2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état|2017 coup]].

Zimbabwe has been undergoing an economic crisis since the late 1990s.<ref name=":0" />

==Political developments since the Lancaster House Agreement==

The Zimbabwean Constitution, initially from the [[Lancaster House Agreement]] a few months before the [[Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 1980|1980 elections]], chaired by [[Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington|Lord Carrington]], institutionalises majority rule and protection of minority rights. Since independence, the Constitution has been amended by the government to provide for:

*The abolition of seats reserved for [[Whites in Zimbabwe|whites]] in the country's parliament in 1987;<ref name="LATimes1987">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-24-mn-6348-story.html Zimbabwe Moves to Limit Whites' Role : Legislation Prepared to End a Guarantee of Parliament Seats], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', June 24, 1987.</ref>
*The abolition of the office of [[Prime Minister of Zimbabwe|prime minister]] in 1987 and the creation of an executive presidency.<ref name="LATimes1987" /> (The office was restored in 2009, and abolished again in 2013.)
*The abolition of the [[Senate of Zimbabwe|Senate]] in 1990 (reintroduced in 2005), and the creation of appointed seats in the House of Assembly.<ref name="LATimes1987"/>

The elected government controls senior appointments in the public service, including the [[Military of Zimbabwe|military]] and [[Zimbabwe Republic Police|police]], and ensures that appointments at lower levels are made on an equitable basis by the independent [[Civil service commission|Public Service Commission]].

[[Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front|ZANU-PF]] leader [[Robert Mugabe]], elected prime minister in 1980, revised the constitution in 1987 to make himself president. President Mugabe's affiliated party  won every election from independence on April 18, 1980, until it lost the parliamentary elections in [[Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008|March 2008]] to the [[Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai|Movement for Democratic Change]]. In some quarters corruption and rigging elections have been alleged. In particular the elections of 1990 were nationally and internationally condemned as being rigged, with the second-placed party, [[Edgar Tekere]]'s Zimbabwe Unity Movement, winning only 20% of the vote. Presidential elections were held in [[Zimbabwean presidential election, 2002|2002]] amid allegations of vote-rigging, intimidation, and [[Electoral fraud|fraud]], and again in March 2008.

Ethnic rivalry between the [[Shona people|Shona]] and [[Ndebele people (Zimbabwe)|Ndebele]] has played a large part in Zimbabwe's politics, a consequence of the country's borders defined by its British colonial rulers. This continued after independence in 1980, during the [[Gukurahundi]] ethnic cleansing liberation wars in [[Matabeleland]] in the 1980s. This led to the political merger of [[Joshua Nkomo]]'s [[Zimbabwe African People's Union|Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU)]] with the ruling [[Zimbabwe African National Union|Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU)]] to form ZANU-PF and the appointment of Nkomo as [[Vice President of Zimbabwe|vice president]].

During 2005, with Mugabe's future in question, factionalism within the [[Shona people|Shona]] has increased.<ref>[http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/ar/ar_ze_018_1_eng.txt] [http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20050414041622/http%3A//www%2Eiwpr%2Enet/index%2Epl?archive/ar/ar_ze_018_1_eng%2Etxt Archived copy] at the [[Library of Congress]] (April 14, 2005).</ref> In October 2005 it was alleged that members of the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC had held secret meetings in London and Washington to discuss plans for a new Zimbabwe after Robert Mugabe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-zimbabwe/end_mugabe_2926.jsp |title=The end of Mugabe? |publisher=openDemocracy |date=2005-10-13 |access-date=2011-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115070509/http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-zimbabwe/end_mugabe_2926.jsp |archive-date=2012-01-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On February 6, 2007, Mugabe orchestrated a Cabinet reshuffle, ousting ministers including 5-year veteran Minister of Finance [[Herbert Murerwa]].

==Political conditions==
Since the defeat of the constitutional [[referendum]] in 2000, politics in Zimbabwe has been marked by a move from the norms of [[democratic governance]], such as democratic elections, the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law, freedom from racial discrimination, the existence of independent media, civil society and academia.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Laurel E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xXQ6Od8xVMsC&q=Since%202000,%20state-sponsored%20intimidation,%20arbitrary%20arrest |title=Framing the State in Times of Transition: Case Studies in Constitution Making |last2=Aucoin |first2=Louis |date=2010 |publisher=US Institute of Peace Press |isbn=978-1-60127-055-9 |language=en}}</ref> Recent years have seen widespread violations of [[human rights in Zimbabwe|human rights]].

Elections have been marked by political violence and intimidation, along with the politicisation of the judiciary, [[Zimbabwe National Army|military]], [[Zimbabwe Republic Police|police force]] and public services.<ref>[http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr92.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322140727/http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr92.html|date=March 22, 2006}}</ref> Statements by the President and government politicians have referred to a state of war, or ''[[Chimurenga]]'', against the opposition political parties, in particular the [[Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai]] (MDC-T). Newspapers not aligned with the government have been closed down and members of the judiciary have been threatened and/or arrested. Repressive laws aimed at preventing freedoms of speech, assembly and association have been implemented and subjectively enforced. Members of the opposition are routinely arrested and harassed, with some subjected to torture or sentenced to jail. The legal system has come under increasing threat. The MDC has repeatedly attempted to use the legal system to challenge the ruling ZANU-PF, but the rulings, often in favour of the MDC, have not been taken into account by the police.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kwashirai |first=Vimbai Chaumba |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVyvEAAAQBAJ&dq=MDC+ZANU-PF+rulings+police&pg=PA170 |title=Election Violence in Zimbabwe: Human Rights, Politics and Power |date=2023-03-02 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-12085-2 |language=en}}</ref>

==Government of Zimbabwe==

Political power in Zimbabwe is split between three branches, the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches, with the President as the head of the executive branch, the Prime Minister the head of the legislative branch and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe the head of the judicial branch.

=== Executive ===

Under the present Zimbabwean Constitution, the President's powers can be grouped roughly into the following categories:

*Power over the Legislature, namely the power to summon, adjourn and dissolve Parliament, and the power to appoint members of Parliament.
*Power over the Judiciary, namely the power to appoint judges and other members of the judiciary.
*Power to appoint members of the Executive, namely Cabinet Ministers and administrative officers such as public servants.
*Power to appoint ambassadors and members of constitutional Commissions.
*Power over the security forces, namely the Defence Forces and the Police.
*Legislative power, namely the power to enact legislation.
*Power to declare war and make peace
*Miscellaneous powers, such as the exercise of the prerogative of mercy and the power to confer honours and precedence. The grant of a pardon or respite from execution of sentence or the substitution or suspension of a sentence must be published in the Gazette.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Constitution of The Republic of Zimbabwe Amendment(No.20) 2013|publisher=MOJLPA in partnership with ZBCB|year=2013|location=Zimbabwe|pages=49}}</ref>
{{office-table}}
|[[List of Presidents of Zimbabwe|President]]
|[[Emmerson Mnangagwa]]
|[[ZANU-PF]]
|24 November 2017
|-
|[[Vice-President of Zimbabwe|Vice-President]]
|[[Constantino Chiwenga]]
|[[ZANU-PF]]
|28 December 2017
|}

Under Zimbabwe's Constitution, the president is the head of state, government and commander-in-chief of the defense forces, elected by popular majority vote. Prior to 2013, the president was elected for a 6-year term with no term limits. The new constitution approved in the [[Zimbabwean constitutional referendum, 2013|2013 constitutional referendum]] limits the president to two 5-year terms, but this does not take effect retrospectively ([[Robert Mugabe]] had held the office from 1987 to 2017).

[[Cabinet of Zimbabwe|The Cabinet]] is appointed by the president and responsible to the House of Assembly.

The '''Minister of State for Presidential Affairs''' is a non-cabinet ministerial position in the government of Zimbabwe. The incumbent is [[Didymus Mutasa]].<ref name=swornin2>{{Cite news|title=New Cabinet appointed|date=13 Feb 2009|publisher=The Herald (Zimbabwe)|url=http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=540&cat=1|access-date=2009-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216180622/http://herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=540&cat=1|archive-date=2009-02-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> The duties of the position have yet to be publicly defined.

===Legislature===

[[File:Harare parlament 24032005.jpg|thumb|[[Parliament of Zimbabwe]] in [[Harare]]]]

Parliament consists of the [[House of Assembly (Zimbabwe)|House of Assembly]] and, since 2005, the [[Senate of Zimbabwe|Senate]], which had previously been abolished in 1990. The House of Assembly has 210 members elected by universal suffrage, including the Speaker, and the [[Attorney General of Zimbabwe|Attorney General]], and may serve for a maximum of five years.<ref>[http://voanews.com/english/Africa/Zimbabwe/2007-11-01-voa45.cfm "Zimbabwe's Mugabe Finalizes Constitutional Amendment On Elections"]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, [[Caroline Gombakomba|Carole Gombakomba]], VOA News, November 1, 2007.</ref> Under the [[Zimbabwean constitutional referendum, 2013|2013 constitution]], the Senate consists of 80 members, of whom 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 [[Single non-transferable vote|SNTV]],<ref>{{cite book|title=ELECTORAL ACT|publisher=[[Zimbabwe Electoral Commission]]|page=35|url=http://www.zec.gov.zw/electoral-media?download=497:consolidated-electoral-act|access-date=18 January 2015|format=pdf|chapter=Part X, Section 44|archive-date=18 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118194119/http://www.zec.gov.zw/electoral-media?download=497:consolidated-electoral-act|url-status=dead}}</ref> 1 seat each for the president and deputy president of the [[Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs|National Council of Chiefs]] and 1 male and 1 female seat for people with disabilities elected on separate ballots using [[Plurality voting system|FPTP]] by an electoral college designated by the National Disability Board.<ref name=zimbabweconst>{{cite book|title=Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20)|pages=52–54|url=http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/56/constitution.pdf|chapter=3, 4|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910142157/http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/56/constitution.pdf|archive-date=2014-09-10}}</ref><ref name="zimbabwe electoral act 2014">{{cite web|title=Electoral Amendment Act 2014 [Act 6-2014]|url=http://www.veritaszim.net/sites/veritas_d/files/Electoral%20Amendment%20Act%202014%20-%20Act%206-2014.doc|website=Veritas Zimbabwe|access-date=18 January 2015|pages=52–55|format=doc}}</ref>

===Judiciary===

The judiciary is headed by the Chief Justice of the [[Supreme Court of Zimbabwe]] who, like their contemporaries, is appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission. The Constitution has a Bill of Rights containing extensive protection of human rights. The Bill of Rights could not be amended for the first 10 years of independence except by unanimous vote of Parliament.

The Supreme Court is the highest court of order and the final court of appeal. The Chief Justice is the senior judge. Others who sit on the bench of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe are Justice [[Paddington Garwe]], former Judge-President of the High Court, Wilson Sandura and Vernanda Ziyambi. [[Luke Malaba]], a former justice of the Supreme Court, was appointed acting chief justice on 1 March 2017 following the retirement of Chief Justice [[Godfrey Chidyausiku]]. Malaba was promoted to chief justice on 28 March.<ref name="herald.co.zw">{{cite web|last1=Zharare|first1=Herbert|last2=Kachere|first2=Phyllis|title=Malaba appointed Chief Justice {{!}} The Herald|url=http://www.herald.co.zw/malaba-appointed-chief-justice/|website=www.herald.co.zw|access-date=1 April 2017}}</ref>

The legal system is based on [[Roman-Dutch law]] with [[South Africa]]n influences. A five-member Supreme Court, headed by the Chief-Justice has original jurisdiction over alleged violations of fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution and appellate jurisdiction over other matters. There is a High Court consisting of general and appellate divisions. Below the High Court are regional magistrate's courts with civil jurisdiction and magistrate's courts with both civil and criminal jurisdiction over cases involving traditional law and custom. Beginning in 1981, these courts were integrated into the national system.

List of chief justices of Zimbabwe:

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;text-align:left"
!rowspan="2"|Incumbent
!colspan="2"|Tenure
!rowspan="2" width=50% |Notes
|-
!Took office
!Left office
|-
|[[Hector Macdonald (judge)|Hector Norman MacDonald]]
|1977
|May 1980
|Appointed by Ian Smith ([[Rhodesia]] under [[Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence|UDI]])
|-
| [[John Fieldsend|Sir John Fieldsend]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rothschildfostertrust.com/materials/lecture_gubbay.pdf|title=THE LIGHT OF SUCCESSIVE CHIEF JUSTICES OF ZIMBABWE IN SEEKING TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE RULE OF LAW|publisher=MIRIAM ROTHSCHILD AND JOHN FOSTER HUMAN RIGHTS TRUST|access-date= 26 February 2016}}</ref>
|1 July 1980
|1983
|
|-
| [[Enoch Dumbutshena]]
|February 1984
|1990
|
|-
|[[Anthony Gubbay]]
|1990
|2001
|
|-
|[[Godfrey Chidyausiku]]
|2001
|2017
|
|-
|[[Luke Malaba]]<ref name="herald.co.zw"/>
|2017
|present
|
|}

===Provincial governance===

{{Multiple issues|section=yes|{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2011}}
{{Expand section|date=December 2011}}}}
''Main articles: [[Provinces of Zimbabwe]], [[Districts of Zimbabwe]]''

==Political parties and elections==

{{Main|List of political parties in Zimbabwe|Elections in Zimbabwe}}

===Presidential elections===
{{Main|2023 Zimbabwean general election}}
{{#section-h:2023 Zimbabwean general election|President}}

===House of Assembly elections===
{{Main|2023 Zimbabwean general election}}
{{#section-h:2023 Zimbabwean general election|National Assembly}}

===Senate elections===
{{Main|2023 Zimbabwean general election}}
{{#section-h:2023 Zimbabwean general election|Senate}}

==International organization participation==

Zimbabwe participates in the following [[Pan-African]] and [[international organisation]]s:
{{col-begin}}
| width="50%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="border:0"|
*[[African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States|ACP]]
*[[African Development Bank|AfDB]]
*[[Commonwealth of Nations]] (formerly from 1980 to 2003)
*[[Economic Commission for Africa|ECA]]
*[[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]]
*[[Group of 15|G-15]]
*[[Group of 77|G-77]]
*[[International Atomic Energy Agency|IAEA]]
*[[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]]
*[[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]]
*[[International Criminal Court|ICCt]]&nbsp;(signatory)
*[[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions|ICFTU]]
*[[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]]
*[[International Development Association|IDA]]
*[[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]]
*[[International Finance Corporation|IFC]]
*[[International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies|IFRCS]]
*[[International Labour Organization|ILO]]
*[[International Monetary Fund|IMF]]
*[[International Criminal Police Organization|Interpol]]
*[[International Olympic Committee|IOC]]
*[[International Organization for Migration|IOM]]
| width="50%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="border:0"|
*[[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]]
*[[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]]
*[[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]]
*[[Organization of African Unity|OAU]]
*[[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]]
*[[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]]
*[[Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa|PMAESA]]
*[[Southern African Development Community|SADC]]
*[[United Nations]]
*[[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]]
*[[United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization|UNESCO]]
*[[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]]
*[[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|UNMIK]]
*[[Universal Postal Union|UPU]]
*[[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]]
*[[World Customs Organization|WCO]]
*[[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]]
*[[World Health Organization|WHO]]
*[[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]]
*[[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]]
*[[World Tourism Organization|WToO]]
*[[World Trade Organization|WTrO]]
{{col-end}}

==See also==

* [[Education in Zimbabwe]]
* [[Political history of Zimbabwe]]
* [[Politics of Rhodesia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Politics of Africa}}
{{Zimbabwean topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Politics of Zimbabwe| ]]