{"id":86181,"date":"2023-08-18T12:11:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T12:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/?p=86181"},"modified":"2025-11-17T17:41:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T17:41:36","slug":"zimbabwes-presidential-election-2023-three-things-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/2023\/08\/18\/zimbabwes-presidential-election-2023-three-things-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Three things to know about Zimbabwe\u2019s presidential election"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Almost 1-million more Zimbabweans have registered to vote in the 2023 general election than in 2018&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa will face Nelson Chamisa on the ballot for the second time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The country\u2019s next president faces myriad challenges \u2013 from triple-digit inflation to $8.3-billion in foreign debt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Zimbabwe heads to the polls on 23 August in its 8th election since 1990. Almost 1-million more people have registered to vote compared with 2018\u2019s 5.7-million. Voters will cast three ballots to elect the president, 210 members of parliament and 9,000 councillors.<br \/><br \/>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndi.org\/publications\/final-report-2018-zimbabwe-harmonized-elections-relative-improvements-insufficient\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voter turnout of 85%<\/a> was recorded in the last election. Zimbabwe generally has a far higher turnout than South Africa, which saw 66% of registered voters at the ballot box for the general election in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/2023-08-11-registered-zim-voters-1-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-86200\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/2023-08-11-Most-registered-zim-voters-2-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-86201\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The presidency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Presidents in Zimbabwe serve five-year terms and there is no limit on how many terms they can serve. Robert Mugabe was the country\u2019s leader for almost three decades, serving as prime minister from 1980 to 1987 and then as president from 1987 to 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The country has had three presidents since its independence from Britain in 1980:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1980 to 1987 \u2013 Zimbabwe African National Union\u2019s Canaan Banana&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1987 to 2017 \u2013 Zanu-PF\u2019s Robert Mugabe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2017 to the present: Zanu-PF\u2019s Emmerson Mnangagwa<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Eighty-year-old Mnangagwa has led Zimbabwe since Mugabe\u2019s resignation in November 2017. He served in Mugabe\u2019s cabinet and was the former president\u2019s deputy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-africa-41914768\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">until he was fired<\/a> days before Mugabe resigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The candidates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To contest the election, a presidential candidate must be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>40 years or older<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Zimbabwean citizen by birth or descent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A resident of Zimbabwe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A registered voter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To stand in 2023, presidential candidates have had to pay <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZECzim\/status\/1671064682335961088\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a nomination fee of US$20,000<\/a> (about R370,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The candidates contesting this year\u2019s presidential election are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Zanu-PF: Incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, who, at 80, is the oldest candidate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Citizens Coaliton for Change: Nelson Chamisa (45)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zimbabwean Coalition for Peace and Development: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RuzvidzoWallace\/status\/1684066993295482882\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trust Chikohora<\/a> (48)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>UANC: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RuzvidzoWallace\/status\/1684840554167767040\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gwinyai Muzorewa <\/a>(79)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/unitedzimbabwe.org\/elisabeth-valerio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">United Zimbabwe Alliance<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=B_55KiwXopg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Elisabeth Valerio<\/a>, the only woman on the ballot<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free Zim Congress: Joseph Makamba Busha (59)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zimbabwe Partnership For Prosperity (ZIPP): Blessing Kasiyamhuru (45)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>National Constitutional Assembly (NCA): Lovemore Madhuku (57)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>National People\u2019s Congress (NPC): Wilbert Mubaiwa<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Democratic Official Party (DOP): Harry Peter Wilson (62)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Mnangagwa\u2019s strongest challenger is likely to be Chamisa. It is the second time the two will face each other in an election. Their first encounter in 2018 ended with Mnangagwa as victor with 50.7% of the vote against the Chamisa\u2019s 44.4%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chamisa, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6jYOwbITkdw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mugabe declared as his favourite candidate<\/a> in 2018, was a member of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A), an opposition coalition that included the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and six smaller parties. In 2022, Chamisa abandoned the MDC-A to launch the Citizens for Coalition Change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year\u2019s MDC\u2019s candidate, Douglas Mwonzora (55), has attempted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesslive.co.za\/bd\/world\/africa\/2023-08-11-mdc-t-leader-douglas-mwonzora-withdraws-from-zimbabwe-election-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">withdraw from the election<\/a>, claiming the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has been treating the party unfairly. The ZEC responded that it was too late so <a href=\"https:\/\/www.herald.co.zw\/2023-polls-electorate-ready-for-date-with-destiny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his name will still appear on the ballot sheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shifting allegiance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Zanu-PF has historically relied on the voters in rural areas, with 67% of the population living outside urban areas. In the last election, the ruling party lost ground against the MDC-A in Harare, where it only managed 27% of the vote. Manicaland, one of Zimbabwe\u2019s most populous provinces, switched allegiance to the MDC-A.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/2023-08-17-losing-ground-zim-elections-\u2013-Just-Zanu-PF-1-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-86185\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Challenges facing the country<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Economic revival remains at the top of the agenda Zimbabwe\u2019s leadership:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Foreign debt: Zimbabwe is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afdb.org\/en\/news-and-events\/press-releases\/zimbabwe-commits-implementing-key-reforms-resolve-debt-burden-end-21-years-sanctions-61187\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$8.3-billion<\/a> in debt. Its biggest creditor is <a href=\"https:\/\/data.one.org\/topics\/african-debt\/#:~:text=Africa's%20debt%20as%20a%20percentage,countries%20have%20rates%20far%20higher.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">China<\/a>, followed by the World Bank<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Currency devaluation: The Zimbabwean dollar continues to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/economists-say-zimbabwe-government-trying-to-manipulate-currency-as-election-gimmick-\/7200994.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lose value against the dollar<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Power crisis: The country has up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/zimbabwe-aims-double-power-output-by-2025-meet-mining-demand-2023-06-01\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">12 hours of blackouts<\/a> a day. Power stations can only produce two-thirds of the electricity it needs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extreme inflation: In June, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/zimbabwe.opendataforafrica.org\/vsdnyk\/consumer-price-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">175.8% more expensive<\/a> to buy goods and pay for services in 2023 than in 2022. Food was 256% more expensive. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theindependent.co.zw\/opinion\/article\/200015195\/inflation-statistics-zimstat-must-ditch-blended-figures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">government stepped in and placed measures to ease inflation<\/a> in July<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unemployment: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimstat.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023_First_Quarter_QLFS_Report_140423.pdf#page=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">One in five people in Zimbabwe<\/a> is unemployed (19.3%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/2023-08-11-CPI-year-on_year-zim-elections-1-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-86202\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notebook<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zec.org.zw\/\">Zimbabwe Electoral Commission<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constituteproject.org\/constitution\/Zimbabwe_2013\">Zimbabwe\u2019s constitution 2013<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zimbabwe heads to the polls on 23 August to elect its president, members of parliament and local councillors. It\u2019s the country\u2019s 8th election since 1990<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86182,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1387],"tags":[154,411,412],"newsletter-post":[],"site":[],"class_list":["post-86181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-the-outlier","tag-elections","tag-zanu-pf","tag-zimbabwe"],"acf":{"big_number":null,"big_number_caption":null,"big_number_link":null,"big_number_background":null,"big_number_text_colour":null,"big_number_icon":null,"big_number_wide":null,"featured_chart":null,"flourish_chart_id":null,"flourish_sub_title":null,"flourish_chart_width":null,"is_newsletter_post":null,"post_style":null,"show_on_front":null,"link_through":null,"chart_url":null,"background_colour":null,"text_colour":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86181"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86539,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86181\/revisions\/86539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86181"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter-post?post=86181"},{"taxonomy":"site","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site?post=86181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}