Parliament of Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|
| 10th Parliament of Zimbabwe | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate National Assembly |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 18 April 1980; 45 years ago (1980-04-18) |
| Preceded by | Parliament of Rhodesia |
New session started | 3 October 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Head of Parliament (Speaker of the National Assembly) | |
Deputy Head of Parliament (President of the Senate) | |
Kennedy Mugove Chokuda | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | |
 | |
Senate political groups | |
 | |
National Assembly political groups | |
Length of term | Five years |
| Elections | |
| Parallel voting | |
LastSenate election | 23 August 2023 |
LastNational Assembly election | 23 August 2023 |
NextSenate election | No later than 5 August 2028 |
NextNational Assembly election | No later than 5 August 2028 |
| Redistricting | Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, in consultation with thePresident and Parliament |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| New Zimbabwe Parliament Building Mount Hampden Zimbabwe | |
 | |
| Before 2023: Parliament House Harare Zimbabwe | |
| Website | |
| parlzim | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Zimbabwe | |
TheParliament of Zimbabwe is thebicamerallegislature ofZimbabwe composed of theSenate and theNational Assembly. The Senate is theupper house, and consists of 80 members, 60 of whom are elected byproportional representation from tensix-member constituencies corresponding to the country'sprovinces. Of the remaining 20 seats, 18 are reserved forchiefs, and two for people withdisabilities. The National Assembly is thelower house, and consists of 280 members. Of these, 210 are elected fromsingle-member constituencies. The remaining 70 seats arereserved women's and youth quotas: 60 for women; 10 for youth. These are elected by proportional representation from ten six-member and one-member constituencies respectively, corresponding to the country's provinces.[2]
Formerly based atParliament House, Harare, the parliament moved to theNew Zimbabwe Parliament Building in October 2023.[3] The new building has 650 seats, which will allow the parliament to expand.[4]
Historically, the first legislature in what is now Zimbabwe was theSouthern Rhodesian Legislative Council, established in 1898 in what was then theBritish South Africa Company territory ofSouthern Rhodesia.Company rule in Rhodesia ended in 1923 when the territory became aself-governing colony, and the Legislative Council was replaced by theSouthern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly. In 1970, five years after the colony'sUnilateral Declaration of Independence,Rhodesia replaced theunicameral Legislative Assembly with a bicameralParliament, consisting of a Senate and House of Assembly. This parliamentary structure was retained uponZimbabwe's independence in 1980. Per the constitution produced byLancaster House Agreement in 1979, the Senate was composed of 40 seats and the House of Assembly was composed of 100, with ten Senate seats and 20 seats in the House of Assembly reserved forwhite Zimbabweans. The white-reserved seats were abolished in 1987, and aconstitutional amendment in 1989 abolished the Senate and expanded the House of Assembly to 120 seats. In 2005, the Senate was reintroduced and the House of Assembly expanded. The House of Assembly was expanded once again in 2007 to 210 seats. The present parliamentary structure has been in place since the adoption of a newconstitution in 2013.
The Senate is presided over by itsPresident, who is not a sitting Senator, who is assisted by a Deputy President. The National Assembly is presided over by aSpeaker, who is not a Member of Parliament. The Speaker is assisted by a Deputy Speaker. The10th Parliament of Zimbabwe is the current Parliament since the2023 general election. TheZimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, theruling party since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, holds majorities in both chambers of Parliament. TheCitizens Coalition for Change holds most of the remaining seats, and forms theopposition.
 |
|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
