According to the Electoral Commission, President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF won 160 of the 210 directly elected seats in the 270-member National Assembly (see note), while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) took 49. In the elections to the 80-member Senate, ZANU-PF took 37of the 60 directly elected seats (see note), while the MDC-T took 21.

The Electoral Commission announced that 89-year-old Mr. Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, was re-elected President with 61 per cent of the votes against Mr. Tsvangirai's 34 per cent. Mr. Tsvangirai alleged election fraud and promised legal action, adding that the MDC-T would no longer work with ZANU-PF. Mr. Mugabe, who had said he would step down if he lost, denied the allegation.

Following the previous elections (March 2008), which sparked widespread violence, ZANU-PF and the MDC's two factions signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in September. Under the GPA, Mr. Mugabe remained President, while Mr. Tsvangirai assumed the newly created post of Prime Minister (which was abolished in the 2013 Constitution). ZANU-PF and the MDC-T formed a coalition government in February 2009 and new elections were to be held by 2011. They were delayed, however, by disagreement over reform. The five-year term of the outgoing legislature expired on 29 June 2013 and President Mugabe ruled the country by decree until the new elections.

The 2013 election campaign was marked by mutual accusations between ZANU-PF and the MDC-T. Before the election, the MDC-T promised to encourage foreign investment and reintegrate the country into the international community. ZANU-PF accused the MDC-T of opposing black empowerment. It reportedly remained popular thanks to solid economic growth since 2010, spurred by the resurgence of agriculture and diamond revenues.Land reform reportedly boosted its support in rural areas. The MDC-T saw its support drop in the wake of corruption scandals and Mr. Tsvangirai's personal scandals.

Note:
The lower chamber was renamed the National Assembly under the 2013 Constitution. In accordance with Article 124 (1) (b) of the Constitution, an additional 60 seats are to be reserved for women in the first two Parliaments to be elected under the 2013 Constitution (i.e. in 2013 and in 2018).
The remaining seats in the Senate are filled by:
- two representatives of persons with disabilities
- 18 traditional chiefs: the President and Deputy President of the National Council of Chiefs and two chiefs from each of eight of the provinces (excluding the two metropolitan provinces of Harare and Bulawayo).