# President of Zimbabwe

The president of Zimbabwe is the head of state and head of government of Zimbabwe. The president chairs the national cabinet and is the chief commanding authority of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The incumbent president is Emmerson Mnangagwa, installed on 24 November 2017 after his predecessor, Robert Mugabe resigned in the aftermath of the 2017 coup d'état.

## History of the office

The office of the president of Zimbabwe was established in 1980, when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. Per the Lancaster House Agreement, Zimbabwe was originally a parliamentary republic, with the president serving in mostly a ceremonial role. Real power was vested in the prime minister, Robert Mugabe.
A Methodist minister, Canaan Banana, became the first president, serving until 1987. He resigned in 1987 shortly after the Constitution was amended to make the presidency an executive post, and the office of Prime Minister was abolished. Mugabe was appointed to succeed him, and was elected in his own right in 1990 and four more times thereafter.
The office of Prime Minister was restored as a result of the 2008–09 political negotiations, but abolished again following the 2013 constitutional referendum. Under the rules adopted by the same referendum, the president serves a maximum of two five-year terms. This did not have a retroactive effect on past terms of office already served or currently being served as of 2013. As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The term limit has not been met by any president yet. Repealing the two-term limit would require a referendum (and allowing an incumbent to benefit from the amendment would require a separate referendum). Emmerson Mnangagwa, the incumbent president, has ruled out seeking a third term. At its 21st National Conference ZANU–PF unanimously voted to extend Presidential terms, however this would require two separate constitutional amendments. Mnangagwa has also rejected extending his second term.

### 2017 coup d'état and Mugabe's resignation

On 14 November 2017, armed military personnel from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces invaded the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation studios in Harare before Major General Sibusiso Moyo came out on a live television broadcast declaring that the army had activated an operation that would later be known as "Operation Restore Legacy." Moyo stated that President Mugabe and his family would be safe and their security would be guaranteed, as the operation was only targeting criminals around him. What followed thereafter was a well-planned and carefully executed crackdown on members of a faction within the ruling ZANU-PF party known as G40. The Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Central Intelligence Organisation, both deemed loyal to the president, were neutralised by the army, which arrested some of their top leaders.
On 21 November 2017, facing all-but certain impeachment from a combined session of the House of Assembly and Senate, Mugabe resigned as president. Former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as his replacement on 24 November 2017.

## List of officeholders

| No. | President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election |
| 1 | Banana, CanaanCanaan Banana (1936–2003) | 18 April 1980 | 31 December 1987 | 7 years, 257 days | ZANU | – |
| 2 | Mugabe, RobertRobert Mugabe (1924–2019) | 31 December 1987 | 21 November 2017 | 29 years, 325 days | ZANU–PF | 1990 1996 2002 2008 2013 |
| – | Mphoko, PhelekezelaPhelekezela Mphoko (1940–2024) Acting | 21 November 2017 | 24 November 2017 | 3 days | ZANU–PF | – |
| 3 | Mnangagwa, EmmersonEmmerson Mnangagwa (born 1942) | 24 November 2017 | Incumbent | 7 years, 109 days | ZANU–PF | 2018 2023 |
Phelekezela Mphoko was the second (and only sitting) vice-president at the time of Mugabe's resignation on 21 November 2017. Mphoko may have been acting president of Zimbabwe for three days until Mnangagwa's accession to the presidency. However, as Mphoko was not in the country at the time, and due to the unusual circumstances, any official standing on this is unclear and may never be known.

## Rank by time in office

| Rank | President | Time in office |
| 1 | Robert Mugabe | 29 years, 325 days |
| 2 | Canaan Banana | 7 years, 257 days |
| 3 | Emmerson Mnangagwa | 7 years, 109 days |

## Latest election

Emmerson Mnangagwa ran for election in 2023 as the ZANU–PF candidate. Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main opposition party MDC-T, died in 2018 and was replaced by Nelson Chamisa. Chamisa ran as the MDC Alliance candidate against Emmerson Mnangagwa. Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected without the need for a runoff, winning 50.8% of the vote to Chamisa's 44.3%. The election result was disputed by the MDC Alliance.