Elections in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) prepares, conducts and supervises presidential, parliamentary, provincial, metropolitan, local-authority and chiefs' elections. Its responsibilities include ballot papers, polling centres, voter education, observer accreditation, instructions for election officials and public complaints. The Registrar-General is assigned voter registration and voters' rolls under the 2026 constitutional amendment, while the Delimitation Commission sets electoral boundaries. Some Electoral Act provisions still use older institutional descriptions, so the notice for the specific election and current official instructions determine the practical procedure. The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act, 2013 and the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13] provide the main legal framework. Constitution Amendment Act (No. 3), Act 6 of 2026, was gazetted on 7 July 2026 and is recorded as commenced in a legal database. Veritas disputes whether it was properly brought into force because of the referendum requirement in section 328. This dispute affects the presidential method, institutional responsibilities and electoral timetable, so the applicable proclamation and official notices must be checked for each election. Under the 2026 Act, the President is to be chosen by a joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly rather than by direct popular vote, with more than half of the valid votes required. If no candidate reaches that level, the two leading candidates proceed to a second round. The Act also provides for ten presidential appointees and a seven-year presidential and parliamentary cycle, making 2030 the expected next regular election period if the changes remain operative; the exact polling date depends on a later proclamation. Parliamentary and local seats continue to use several systems. National Assembly constituency seats and local-authority councillor seats use first-past-the-post voting. In the 2023 arrangement, sixty National Assembly women's quota seats and ten youth quota seats used proportional representation, while the Senate included sixty provincial proportional-representation seats together with chiefs' and persons-with-disabilities seats. Provincial council seats and the local-authority women's quota also use proportional representation. A voter must be a Zimbabwean citizen aged at least 18 to register. Registration is generally linked to a constituency or ward. Accepted identity evidence includes a valid Zimbabwean passport, a National Registration identity document or a driver's licence showing the national registration number. Residence evidence can include a rates or levy demand, electricity demand, employer affidavit, bank statement, hospital bill, postmarked envelope, statement from a chief, headman or village head, or statement from the property owner. Registration and voting do not carry a fee. After a public notice, voters can inspect the voters' roll and submit claims or corrections through the stated registration office. Before polling, the President issues a proclamation or another statutory notice, boundaries may be delimited, candidates submit nominations to the nomination officer, and candidates may have to pay the prescribed nomination fee and comply with campaign-finance rules. Parties and candidates may appoint polling agents. Observers require accreditation, and voter education explains the process. Zimbabwe does not provide general external voting. Postal voting is limited to registered voters who fall within statutory categories, such as disciplined-force or election personnel serving on polling days, government employees outside Zimbabwe and accompanying spouses. The postal application requires the prescribed form, a certified copy of the national-registration document and proof of service, with the statutory deadline linked to nomination day. At the assigned polling station, officials check the voter's identity and roll entry before issuing a paper ballot. The ballot is secret. Assisted voting is available for persons with disabilities or other special needs under the applicable polling rules. Polling times and any extension for logistical delays depend on the election notice. Voters may support a candidate or party freely, but bribery, personation, undue influence, intimidation and other electoral malpractice are prohibited. There is no general legal duty to vote indicated in the available framework. Officials count ballots at the polling station in the presence of candidate or party agents and complete a polling-station return. Results are then collated at constituency or ward level before the competent authority announces them. Copies of returns and the presence of agents provide important checks on the count. Turnout and voters' roll figures vary by election. A person who believes that an election rule was breached can first use the ZEC complaint channel. The Electoral Court is the Electoral Court Division of the High Court, and an election petition is generally filed within 14 days after the end of the election period; security for costs is generally due within seven days after filing. An illegal practice or electoral malpractice can lead to an election being set aside and a fresh election, subject to the applicable law and transitional rules.