Zimbabwe

National Assembly

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name
Parliament
Chamber name
National Assembly
Structure & status of parliament
Lower chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5

IPU membership

Affiliation periods
from 1981
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
African Group

Speaker

Official title
Speaker of the National Assembly
Speaker
J.F.N. Mudenda (Male)
Date of birth: 31 May 1946
Term
03 Sep 2013
Additional information

Elected on 3 Sep. 2013, re-elected on 11 Sep. 2018 and 8 Sep. 2023.

Speaker terms

Click for historical data

Notes: The Speaker's term continues two to three months past elections.

Secretary general

Official title
Clerk of Parliament
Secretary General
Kennedy Mugove Chokuda (Male)
Term
20 May 2015
Notes

Appointed on 20 May 2015.

Members

Statutory number of members
280

Notes: The statutory number of members of the National Assembly stipulated in the 2013 Constitution is 210; one member elected from each of the 210 constituencies. In accordance with Article 124 (1) (b) and (c) of the Constitution, 60 additional seats will be reserved for women for the first four Parliaments to be elected after the 2021 constitutional amendments (i.e., elections in 2023, 2028, 2033 and 2038); and 10 additional seats will be reserved for candidates aged between 21 and 35.

Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Directly elected members
280
Current number of members
267
Men
192
Women
75
Percentage of women
28.1%
Statutory number of members per country
360
Population (in thousands)
16,340
Inhabitants per parliamentarian
46,686

Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.

Average age of all members
47.6
(2023-09)
Youngest member
Mpofu Adionah Rutendo (Female)
Youngest member (years)
24
Oldest member
Shamu Webster Kotiwani (Male)
Oldest member (years)
78
Number of members, by age (2023-09)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 9 38 46 45 36 15 3 0 0 192
Female 0 8 16 14 10 19 15 4 0 0 86
Totals per age interval 0 17 54 60 55 55 30 7 0 0 278
Total <= 45: 131 Total >= 46: 147
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
6.1% 3.2% 2.9%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
25.5% 17% 8.6%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
47.1% 33% 13.7%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Yes
Women
60
Youth
10
Electoral quota for women
Yes

Notes: 60 seats in the 280-member National Assembly are allocated to women candidates, who are to be elected under List Proportional Representation (List PR) for the four Parliaments following the enactment of the 2021 constitutional amendments (i.e., elections in 2023, 2028, 2033 and 2038). Each list of candidates must include at least (a) ten women under the age of 35 and (b) women with disabilities and (c) young women with disabilities.

Sources: Article 124 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Act, 2021. The law was adopted by the National Assembly on 20 April 2021, and by the Senate on 4 May 2021. It was enacted by the President of the Republic, and entered into force on 7 May 2021. Article 45C (4) (a) of the Electoral Amendment Act, 2023 entered into force on 19 July 2023.

Youth quota
Yes

Notes: Ten seats in the 280-member National Assembly are reserved for young candidates, aged between 21 and 35, who are elected under List Proportional Representation (List PR). Each list of candidates must alternate female and male candidates.

Sources: Article 124 (1) (c) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Act, 2021. The law was adopted by the National Assembly on 20 April 2021, and by the Senate on 4 May 2021. It was enacted by the President of the Republic, and entered into force on 7 May 2021. Article 45C (4) (b) of the Electoral Amendment Act, 2023 entered into force on 19 July 2023.

Links to additional information

Parliamentary website
List of members
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
No information available
Constitution

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No