Zimbabwe Politics Explained, Who Holds Power in 2026

ZIMBABWE · POLITICS

Zimbabwe politics in October 2026 revolves around one question: how long President Emmerson Mnangagwa stays, and who takes over when he leaves.

A new amendment lengthens presidential terms, which Zimbabwean outlets read as keeping him in office until 2030. Americans who invest in, trade with or send aid to Zimbabwe deal with a government shaped by these decisions.

Zimbabwe Politics in Brief: One Party, One Dominant Presidency

Zimbabwe politics has been dominated by Zanu-PF, short for the Zimbabwe African National Union, Patriotic Front, since 1980. The party grew out of the liberation war against white-minority rule in what was then Rhodesia.

Robert Mugabe led the country for 37 years. In November 2017 the army moved against him, and Mnangagwa, his former right-hand man, took over, a period Zanu-PF calls the Second Republic.

In the 2023 vote Mnangagwa won a second term with 52.6% of the vote, or 2,350,711 votes, according to the results reported by Daily Maverick. His rival Nelson Chamisa took 44%, and the opposition rejected the result.

Under the 2013 constitution the president can serve two five-year terms. The July 2026 amendment changes that arithmetic, as the Rio Times report on the amendment explains.

More background sits in the Zimbabwe hub of The Rio Times.

The President and the Vice-Presidents

In Zimbabwe politics the president is both head of state and head of government. Under section 88 of the constitution, executive power sits with the president and runs through the Cabinet.

He also leads Zanu-PF as its First Secretary. His term as president began in September 2023 and, under the new amendment, now runs for seven years.

Constantino Chiwenga, the Rival Deputy

Chiwenga is a Vice-President and a former commander of the army. ZimLive describes him as central to the November 2017 coup that ended Mugabe’s rule.

On 16 October 2026, at the party’s annual conference in Chinhoyi, he called for a brutal and honest self-appraisal of the party. He asked whether Zimbabwe was repeating the mistakes that led to 2017.

He did not name the president or the term extension. ZimLive reported that his questions appeared to challenge both.

Mnangagwa answered by defending his record. He said the economy grew 8.3% in 2025 and that annual inflation had fallen to 2.8%, figures that the government supplies.

Kembo Mohadi, the Second Vice-President

Kembo Mohadi, a veteran Zanu-PF figure, is the other Vice-President. He turns 77 in November 2026.

He fell ill at the Chinhoyi conference on 16 October and was flown to a Harare hospital. The presidency’s spokesman said he was stable.

Zanu-PF: The Ruling Party and Its Factions

In Zimbabwe politics, Zanu-PF decides most things before Parliament or the Cabinet do. Its top bodies are the politburo, the central committee and the annual national people’s conference.

At the October 2026 conference in Chinhoyi, Legal Affairs Secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi read out the resolutions.

The party will move its next congress from 2027 to 2029, and Mnangagwa stays leader and candidate. That is according to the Herald, a state-controlled daily.

Newsday, an independent daily, reported that the resolutions were widely seen as aimed at Chiwenga and his allies. Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, the party’s national chairperson, steered the debate.

Ziyambi also said the party would discipline its MPs who missed votes on the amendment, according to the Daily News. That shows how closely the party watches its members.

• The Mnangagwa camp: the president, ministers close to him, and business allies such as Kudakwashe Tagwirei.
• The Chiwenga camp: the vice-president and former officers who say the party should reflect on 2017. ZimLive reported that his dismissal or departure cannot be ruled out.
• The retired generals: Philip Valerio Sibanda, the former head of the defence forces, was named to the politburo in May 2026, according to the Herald.

Parliament, the New Amendment and the Opposition

Parliament is the second arena of Zimbabwe politics, with two houses. The National Assembly has 280 seats, and the Senate had 80 before the amendment.

Zanu-PF held 190 of the 280 Assembly seats as of February 2024, according to the Herald. That is above the 187 needed for a two-thirds majority.

The Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Act, or Act No. 6 of 2026, was signed on or about 7 July 2026. Veritas, a Zimbabwean legal-information group, published it.

What the Act Changes

Parliament, not the voters, will now elect the president, in a joint sitting of both houses, under the new section 92 of the constitution. A candidate needs more than half of the valid votes of members of Parliament.

The terms of the president, MPs and senators rise from five to seven years, and the Act applies this to the officeholders now in place. Zimbabwean outlets read that as carrying Mnangagwa’s term from 2028 to 2030.

Other Changes in the Act

The Senate grows from 80 to 90 members. Ten new senators are chosen by the president after consulting the National Assembly.

The Registrar-General, a civil servant, now registers voters, a job that belonged to the electoral commission. A new Delimitation Commission, appointed by the president, draws constituency boundaries.

The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, set up to deal with past political violence, is abolished.

The Vote and the Dispute

The National Assembly passed the bill 216 to 42 on 18 June 2026, according to NewZimbabwe. The Senate followed 75 to 4 on 24 June, according to ZimLive.

Critics, including Veritas, say a change to term limits that benefits sitting officeholders needs a national referendum under section 328. The Attorney General has called the demand for a referendum unconstitutional, according to ZimLive in May 2026.

The Opposition

The Citizens Coalition for Change, known as the CCC, won 73 elected Assembly seats in 2023, according to Daily Maverick. It then fractured when Sengezo Tshabangu claimed its leadership and recalled dozens of its lawmakers.

The Speaker named Tshabangu Leader of the Opposition in May 2024, according to ZimLive. Chamisa left the CCC in 2024 and, as of August 2026, had promised a new Citizens’ Movement but not launched it, according to NewZimbabwe.

Tendai Biti, a former finance minister, convenes the Constitution Defenders’ Forum and has called the amendment a coup against the 2013 constitution. A separate group of war veterans is also in court against it, which keeps Zimbabwe politics tense.

Ministers and the Men Around the President

Ministers are the third arena of Zimbabwe politics, and Mnangagwa appoints them under section 104 of the constitution. On 8 October 2026 Chief Secretary Martin Rushwaya announced a split of the finance ministry.

Professor Mthuli Ncube stays Minister of Finance. Tagwirei, a businessman, became Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion, according to the Herald and ZimLive.

Tagwirei runs the fuel and trading group Sakunda Holdings, and the US Treasury sanctioned him and the company in 2020. They stayed on its Global Magnitsky list after Washington ended its Zimbabwe sanctions programme in March 2024.

For the business side, read the Rio Times guide to who runs Zimbabwe’s economy and the geopolitics pillar.

• Foreign Affairs and International Trade: Amon Murwira, who dealt with China and Serbia in August 2026.
• Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs: Ziyambi Ziyambi, who defends the Act in court.
• Defence: Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is also the party’s national chairperson.

The Military, Police and Security Forces

The army has shaped Zimbabwe politics since 2017.

In November 2025 Mnangagwa named new commanders for the defence forces and the army. General Philip Valerio Sibanda retired, according to the Herald.

The US Treasury added several senior officers to its Global Magnitsky sanctions list in March 2024.

The Act rewrites the defence forces’ constitutional duty. It now reads that they protect Zimbabwe, its people, its national security and its interests, and uphold the constitution.

Courts and Commissions

Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza became Chief Justice on 15 May 2026, the first woman in the post, after Luke Malaba retired, according to NewZimbabwe. Paddington Garwe is her deputy.

The Act gives the president the power to appoint all senior judges after consulting the Judicial Service Commission.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission runs elections, according to the Herald in July 2026. Its work on voter rolls and boundaries has been handed to the Registrar-General and the Delimitation Commission.

The Constitutional Court heard six war veterans’ challenge on 22 September 2026 and reserved judgment, according to the Herald. Four other challenges were removed from the roll, and one remains pending, according to The Zimbabwean.

Rising Figures to Watch

Tagwirei is the fastest riser. He moved from party donor to presidential adviser, central committee member, senator in September 2026 and minister in October, according to ZimLive.

Chiwenga’s own future is the main unknown in Zimbabwe politics. His allies could accept the outcome, keep contesting it, or face further marginalisation, according to ZimLive.

Biti and Chamisa are the best-known opposition voices.

Neither holds an official post. The war veteran Blessed Geza, once a loud critic of Mnangagwa, died in February 2026, according to News24 and NewZimbabwe.

What It Means for US Readers

The United States ended its broad Zimbabwe sanctions programme in March 2024. It kept targeted Global Magnitsky sanctions on officials and companies, including Mnangagwa, Chiwenga, Tagwirei and Muchinguri-Kashiri, according to the Treasury’s sanctions office.

US companies and banks dealing with Zimbabwe need to screen their partners. Tagwirei’s new ministry will handle state enterprises and investment approvals, according to ZimLive, which makes that check more pressing.

Political risk in Zimbabwe politics is mostly about timing. The longer terms postpone the next national election to about 2030, according to Zimbabwean outlets, so a vote is not a near-term trigger for change.

The likelier surprise is the rivalry inside the ruling party. The Zimbabwe explainer and the guide to Zimbabwe in Southern Africa add background.

What Is Not Known

Zimbabwe politics has a gap at its centre: nobody outside the inner circle knows who Zanu-PF will pick to follow Mnangagwa. The party has endorsed him as its candidate, and it has not named a successor.

The Constitutional Court has not ruled on the direct-access application or the pending case. The outcome of any ruling is open.

It is not known whether the new ten appointed senators and the new Delimitation Commission are in place. Nor is it known how Chiwenga will respond to the October resolutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who runs Zimbabwe in October 2026?

President Emmerson Mnangagwa heads the state, the government and the ruling Zanu-PF party. His two vice-presidents are Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi.

How long can Mnangagwa stay in office?

Under the July 2026 amendment, presidential terms last seven years instead of five. Zimbabwean outlets read this as keeping him in office until about 2030, and Zanu-PF has backed him as its candidate.

Will Zimbabweans still vote for their president?

Not directly in Zimbabwe politics after the amendment. The amendment says Parliament elects the president in a joint sitting of the Senate and the National Assembly. Voters still elect members of Parliament.

Who leads the opposition in Zimbabwe politics?

Sengezo Tshabangu was named Leader of the Opposition in Parliament in May 2024. Nelson Chamisa, the former main challenger, had no party as of August 2026.

Is the constitutional amendment being challenged in court?

Yes. The Constitutional Court reserved judgment on a war veterans’ application on 22 September 2026. Four other challenges were removed from the roll and one remains.

Are there US sanctions on Zimbabwe’s leaders?

The US ended its Zimbabwe sanctions programme in March 2024. It kept targeted Global Magnitsky sanctions on people including Mnangagwa, Chiwenga and Tagwirei.

Sources: Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, Act No. 6 of 2026 (text, via Veritas), July 2026; Veritas, Constitution Watch posts 2026, October 2026; US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, recent actions, 4 March 2024; Parliament of Zimbabwe, 2026; The Herald, President splits Finance and Economic Development portfolios, 8 October 2026; The Herald, Zanu-PF shifts Congress to 2029, 18 October 2026; ZimLive, Chiwenga questions Mnangagwa’s record, 17 October 2026; NewZimbabwe, Constitution Amendment Bill 3 passes National Assembly, 18 June 2026; NewZimbabwe, Gwaunza appointed Chief Justice, 14 May 2026; The Herald, Court reserves judgment in CAA3 challenge, 23 September 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief