| President of the Republic of Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|
| Mutungamiri weNyika ye Zimbabwe (Shona) | |
 Presidential Standard | |
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| Office of the President of Zimbabwe Executive branch of the Zimbabwean Government | |
| Style | His Excellency (Formal, in international correspondence) Comrade President (Informal) |
| Type | Head of state Head of government Commander-in-chief |
| Residence | State House |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Five years,[1] renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013) |
| Inaugural holder | Canaan Banana |
| Formation | 18 April 1980; 45 years ago (1980-04-18) |
| Deputy | Vice-President of Zimbabwe |
| Salary | US$200,000 annually(2014)[2] |
| Website | www |
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Thepresident of Zimbabwe is thehead of state andhead of government ofZimbabwe. The president chairs the national cabinet and is the chief commanding authority of theZimbabwe Defence Forces. The incumbent president isEmmerson Mnangagwa, who was installed on 24 November 2017 after his predecessor,Robert Mugabe, resigned in the aftermath of the2017 coup d'état.
The office of the president of Zimbabwe was established in 1980, when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. Per theLancaster House Agreement, Zimbabwe was originally aparliamentary republic, with the president serving in mostly a ceremonial role. Real power was vested in the prime minister,Robert Mugabe.
AMethodist minister,Canaan Banana, became the first president, serving until 1987. He resigned in 1987 shortly after theConstitution was amended to make the presidency an executive post, and the office ofPrime Minister was abolished. Mugabe was appointed to succeed him, and was elected in his own right in1990 and four more times thereafter.
The office of Prime Minister was restored as a result of the2008–09 political negotiations, but abolished again following the2013 constitutional referendum. Under the rules adopted by the same referendum, the president serves a maximum of two five-year terms.[1] This did not have a retroactive effect on past terms of office already served or currently being served as of 2013.[3] As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in theConstitution of Zimbabwe. The term limit has not been met by any president yet.[4] Repealing the two-term limit would require a referendum (and allowing an incumbent to benefit from the amendment would require a separate referendum).[5] Emmerson Mnangagwa, the incumbent president, has ruled out seeking a third term.[6] At its 21st National ConferenceZANU–PF unanimously voted to extend Presidential terms, however this would require two separate constitutional amendments.[7] Mnangagwa has also rejected extending his second term.[8]
On 14 November 2017, armed military personnel from theZimbabwe Defence Forces invaded theZimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation studios inHarare before Major GeneralSibusiso 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 asG40. TheZimbabwe Republic Police and theCentral 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 theHouse of Assembly andSenate, Mugabe resigned as president. Former vice presidentEmmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as his replacement on 24 November 2017.
| No. | Portrait | 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 | 1980 (indirect) 1986 (indirect) |
| 2 |  | Mugabe, RobertRobert Mugabe (1924–2019) | 31 December 1987 | 21 November 2017 | 29 years, 325 days | ZANU–PF | 1987 (indirect) 1990 1996 2002 2008 |
| – | .jpg) | Mphoko, PhelekezelaPhelekezela Mphoko (1940–2024) Acting | 21 November 2017 | 24 November 2017 | 3 days | ZANU–PF | – |
| 3 | .jpg) | Mnangagwa, EmmersonEmmerson Mnangagwa (born 1942) | 24 November 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 4 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.[9][10][11][12]
| Rank | President | Time in office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Mugabe | 29 years, 325 days |
| 2 | Emmerson Mnangagwa | 8 years, 4 days |
| 3 | Canaan Banana | 7 years, 257 days |
Emmerson Mnangagwa ran for election in 2023 as theZANU–PF candidate.[13]Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main opposition partyMDC-T, died in 2018 and was replaced byNelson Chamisa. Chamisa ran as theMDC Alliance candidate against Emmerson Mnangagwa. Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected without the need for arunoff, winning 50.8% of the vote to Chamisa's 44.3%. The election result was disputed by the MDC Alliance.
Presidents ofZimbabwe and its antecedents | |
|---|---|
 Rhodesia(1965–1979,an unrecognised state) | |
 Zimbabwe Rhodesia(1979,an unrecognised state) | |
 Zimbabwe(since 1980,a recognised state) | |
*Acting President | |