Zimbabwe
National Assembly
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Presidential-Parliamentary
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Data on women
Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.
Current representation
Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
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279
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
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84
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
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30.1%
Speaker
No information available
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Committee on Women's Affairs, Community Development and SME’s Development | Gender equality | Gertrude Mutandi | Female | - |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2023-09)
| 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 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1% | 3.2% | 2.9% | |
| 25.5% | 17% | 8.6% | |
| 47.1% | 33% | 13.7% |
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
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Yes
- Women
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60
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
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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.
First woman in parliament
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Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
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1980
First woman speaker
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Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
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2005
Women’s suffrage
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Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940.
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1980
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
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No information available
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Restricted
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Detail of restrictions
Suffrage: Restrictions detail
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European men and women only
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
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1957
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Restricted
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1980
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Universal
Notes: Prior to independence, women were granted the right to vote under the following restrictions: Between 1919 and 1957, only men and European women could vote. In 1957, a qualified right to vote was extended to black married women. A wife was deemed to have the same means of qualifications as her husband, but in the case of a polygamous marriage, this privilege only applied to the first wife. Wives were required to have literacy in English and any educational qualifications in their own right. In order to be registered as a general voter, a person had to have one of four alternative qualifications: (i) income of £ 720 per annum or ownership or immovable property valued at £ 1,500; (ii) income of £ 3,480 per annum or ownership of immovable property valued at £ 1,000 plus the completion of a primary course of education of prescribed standard; (iii) being a minister of religion, who had undergone certain stipulated training and periods of service in the Ministry and who followed no other profession, trade or gainful occupation; (iv) being a chief as defined in the Act.
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
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1980
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
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Universal
Notes: Prior to independence, women were granted the right to vote and stand for election under the following restrictions: Between 1919 and 1957, only men and European women could vote. In 1957, a qualified right to vote was extended to black married women. A wife was deemed to have the same means of qualifications as her husband, but in the case of a polygamous marriage, this privilege only applied to the first wife. Wives were required to have literacy in English and any educational qualifications in their own right. In order to be registered as a general voter, a person had to have one of four alternative qualifications: (i) income of £ 720 per annum or ownership or immovable property valued at £ 1,500; (ii) income of £ 3,480 per annum or ownership of immovable property valued at £ 1,000 plus the completion of a primary course of education of prescribed standard; (iii) being a minister of religion, who had undergone certain stipulated training and periods of service in the Ministry and who followed no other profession, trade or gainful occupation; (iv) being a chief as defined in the Act.
Women's caucus
Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.