10 Facts and figures you should know about Zimbabwe’s 2023 General Elections

It is almost here. The 2023 Zimbabwean General Elections, officially referred to as the "Harmonized Elections" by the Electoral Commission is scheduled to take place on August 23, 2023. Once again, Zimbabwean electorates will be offered the opportunity to elect members of parliament, president and councilors. 

With barely 24hours to the election day, the African Elections Project presents 10 facts about Zimbabwe’s upcoming 2023 General Elections.

1. This election will be the second general election conducted after the removal of former President Mugabe from office. 

2. 11 candidates have been approved by the Electoral Commission of Zimbabwe to contest in this year’s General Elections. However, the key contest is between incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, from the governing ZANU-PF party, and Nelson Chamisa, 45, of the opposition Citizen's Coalition for Change (CCC).

3. Data published by the Electoral Commission indicates close to 6.6 million Zimbabweans have registered to cast their votes in the upcoming 2023 harmonized elections.

4. On the gender front, the number of registered female electorates is 3,551,997 representing 53.7% of the registered voters (a drop 0.3% from 2018) and 3,067,694 of males, representing 46.3 % of the total registered voters.

5. To win the presidency, a candidate must get more than 50% of the vote. If there is no outright winner, a run-off between the top two candidates will be held within 28-42 days.

6. Within the National Assembly, there are 60 seats reserved for women, six from each province.

7. Parliamentary and local council candidates only need a simple majority of votes cast.

8. The cost-of-living crisis in Zimbabwe coupled with the crippling power outages and unstable local currency are some of the key issues which will shape this year’s election.

9. According to Zimbabwe’s Electoral Act, results for any of the elections should be announced within five days from the close of polling.

10. The August 23 general election, Zimbabwe’s ninth since independence in 1980.

AEP

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