| Election Name: | 2023 Zimbabwean by-elections |
| Country: | Zimbabwe |
| Type: | Legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Zimbabwean general election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2028 Zimbabwean general election |
| Next Year: | 2028 |
| Seats For Election: | 10 out of the 280 seats in the National Assembly |
| Election Date: | |
| Image1: | Emmerson Mnangagwa (2019-01-15).jpg |
| Leader1: | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Party1: | Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front |
| Last Election1: | 176 seats, 56.11% |
| Seats After1: | 184 seats |
| Seat Change1: | 8 |
| Leader2: | Nelson Chamisa |
| Party2: | CCC |
| Last Election2: | 103 seats, 41.58% |
| Seats After2: | 78 seats |
| Seat Change2: | 25 |
| Party3: | ZAPU |
| Last Election3: | 0 seats, 0% |
| Seats After3: | 0 seats |
| Leader4: | Lovemore Madhuku |
| Party4: | National Constitutional Assembly |
| Last Election4: | 0 seats, 0% |
| Seats After4: | 0 seats |
| Leader5: | Harry Peter Wilson |
| Party5: | DOP |
| Last Election5: | 0 seats, 0% |
| Seats After5: | 0 seats |
| Election Name: | 2024 Zimbabwean by-elections |
| Country: | Zimbabwe |
| Type: | Legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Zimbabwean general election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2028 Zimbabwean general election |
| Next Year: | 2028 |
| Election Date: | |
| Image1: | Emmerson Mnangagwa (2019-01-15).jpg |
| Leader1: | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Party1: | Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front |
| Last Election1: | 184 seats |
| Seats After1: | 192 seats |
| Seat Change1: | 8 |
| Leader2: | Unknown |
| Party2: | CCC |
| Last Election2: | 78 seats |
| Seats After2: | 78 seats |
| Party3: | ZAPU |
| Last Election3: | 0 seats |
| Seats After3: | 0 seats |
| Party4: | National Constitutional Assembly |
| Last Election4: | 0 seats |
| Seats After4: | 0 seats |
| Party5: | DOP |
| Last Election5: | 0 seats |
| Seats After5: | 0 seats |
By-elections were held in Zimbabwe on 11 November 2023, on 9 December 2023, on 3 February 2024 and on 27 April 2024 to fill vacancies in the National Assembly and in local government.[1] [2] The by-elections were triggered by Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be the interim Secretary-General of the Citizens Coalition for Change, when he recalled nine constituency legislators, six proportional representative women’s quota and senators and seventeen councilors mainly from Bulawayo, one of the party's strongholds.[3] [4] [5] [6]
Due to the death of independent candidate Christopher Mutonhori before the general election on 23 August 2023, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission cancelled the parliamentary election in the Gutu West constituency in terms of Section 50 of the Electoral Act, which stipulates that should a candidate die before the election, the nominations are declared null and void.[7] [8] After the general elections, president Emmerson Mnangagwa proclaimed on 22 September 2023 that the by-election would be held on 11 November 2023.[9]
On 3 October 2023, Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be the interim Secretary-General of the Citizens Coalition for Change, recalled 15 members of the National Assembly (9 constituency MPs, 5 women's quota MPs and 1 youth quota MP), 9 senators and 17 councilors mainly from Bulawayo.[10] [11] [12] The CCC disputed Tshabangu's authority and the CCC president Nelson Chamisa wrote to National Assembly speaker Jacob Mudenda to disregard Tshabangu's letter.[13]
In spite of Chamisa's protests, Mudenda wrote to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission declaring the seats vacant, while the Local Government minister Winston Chitando notified the city councils about the vacant council seats.[14] [15] On 20 October 2023, president Mnangagwa proclaimed 9 December 2023 as the date for the by-elections.[16] The Harare High Court rejected the expelled CCC MPs' appeal to be reinstated on 4 November 2023.[17] On 7 November 2023, the Nomination Court sat to receive papers from candidates for the by-elections.[18]
The CCC had been hit hard by double candidacy during the August general election, as Sengezo Tshabangu’s camp fielded its own set of candidates using the same party name.[19] [20]
On 7 November 2023, a further letter was sent to the Speaker of Parliament and the President of the Senate by Tshabangu. In this letter, he recalled a further six constituency MPs and 6 Women's Quota MPs, as well as five Senators.[21] Their seats were declared vacant by the Speaker and President respectively on 14 November 2023. On the same day, the High Court ruled that any further recalls could not be acted upon by Parliament until legal challenges had completed. The Speaker, however, determined that the seats had been vacated when the letter was written - i.e. 7 November - and so remained vacant in spite of the Court order on 14 November. [22] President Mnangagwa declared the date for the by-elections of these six constituencies to be 3 February 2024.
In November 2023, Citizens Coalition for Change activist Tapfumaneyi Masaya was kidnapped and murdered while campaigning.[23] This was just a fortnight after CCC lawmaker Takudzwa Ngadziore was reportedly abducted and tortured.
At the Nomination Court proceedings, the recalled MPs submitted an application to stand in the by-elections as CCC candidates. While their applications were accepted, meaning that in some constituencies there would be two CCC candidates competing against each other, Tshabangu submitted an application to the High Court to bar the recalled MPs from standing as CCC candidates. On 7 December, just two days before the by-election, the High Court issued an order which barred the recalled MPs from standing as candidates, and further stated that their names should not appear on ballot papers.[24]
Chamisa withdrew from CCC ahead of by-election on 3rd of February 2024.[25] Fadzayi Mahere and other withdrew from Parliament in solidarity with Nelson Chamisa, prompting a by-election in their respective constituencies.
| Constituency | Province | Reason for vacancy | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beitbridge West | Matebeleland South | Recall of incumbent legislator Morgan Ncube | |
| Binga North | Matebeleland North | Recall of incumbent legislator Prince Dubeko Sibanda | |
| Bulawayo South | Bulawayo | Recall of incumbent legislator Nicola Jane Watson | |
| Cowdray Park | Bulawayo | Recall of incumbent legislator Pashor Raphael Sibanda | |
| Lobengula-Magwegwe | Bulawayo | Recall of incumbent legislator Ereck Gono | |
| Lupane East | Matebeleland South | Recall of incumbent legislator Bright Vanya Moyo | |
| Mabvuku-Tafara | Harare | Recall of incumbent legislator Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi | |
| Recall of incumbent legislator Desmond Makaza | |||
| Nketa | Bulawayo | Recall of incumbent legislator Obert Manduna | |
| Constituency | Province | Reason for vacancy | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seke | Mashonaland East | Recall of incumbent legislator Willard Tapfumanei Madzimbamuto | ||
| Goromonzi South | Mashonaland East | Recall of incumbent legislator Stephen Chagwiza | ||
| Pelandaba–Tshabalala | Bulawayo | Recall of incumbent legislator Gift Siziba | ||
| Chegutu West | Mashonaland West | Recall of incumbent legislator Admore Chivero | ||
| Zvimba East | Mashonaland West | Recall of incumbent legislator Oliver Mutasa | ||
| Mkoba North | Midlands Province | Recall of incumbent legislator Amos Chibaya |
| Constituency | Province | Reason for vacancy | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harare East | Harare | Resignation of incumbent legislator Rusty Markham | ||
| Mount Pleasant | Harare | Resignation of incumbent legislator Fadzayi Mahere |