
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe exhibits low-range performance in three categories of the Global State of Democracy Framework: Representation, Rights and Rule of Law, and mid-range in Participation. It is in the bottom 25 per cent of countries with regard to multiple factors of Rights and Rule of Law. Compared to five years ago, Zimbabwe has experienced notable declines in Economic Equality and Access to Justice. It is a lower-middle income country with an economy driven by the agricultural, mining, and tourism sectors. Since the 1990s, it has experienced multiple currency crises and its economy faces many challenges, including vulnerability to climate shocks, debt distress, sanctions and corruption. Poverty, unemployment and income inequality are high.
Present-day Zimbabwe has been inhabited for hundreds of thousands of years, and the country’s name is derived from Great Zimbabwe, the capital city of a major medieval trading kingdom. In the late 19th Century, Zimbabwe was colonized by the British South African Company before it was made a self-governing British colony in 1923. The settler colonial government unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 and ruled the country under an authoritarian and segregationist dispensation. In 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence and majority rule and was governed by Robert Mugabe until 2017, when he was removed in a coup d’etat that installed hiss former-vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, as president and leader of the ruling Zanu-PF party. Zimbabwe’s post-Independence era has been marked by authoritarianism, with Zanu-PF maintaining its position through patronage, repression, lawfare, electoral manipulation and by securitising the state and restricting civic space.
The principal cleavage among Zimbabweans is political partisanship, which divides the supporters of Zanu-PF from a handful of opposition parties, most notably the Citizens Coalition for Change. Polarization across this divide is high and is fuelled by distinct demographic groups (Zanu-PF supporters who are overwhelmingly rural dwellers, less educated, older and female, and opposition supporters with the pattern reversed) and by their divergent news consumption. Factionalism within the ruling party, generally centred around succession struggles, also shapes the country’s political landscape and stability, often drawing in elements of the security agencies and other state institutions, undermining democratic processes and provoking political violence. Zimbabwean society is ethnically diverse, with Shona the largest ethnic group, followed by the Ndebele and several other smaller African groups and a small white population. Ethnic regionalism is politically salient in the western provinces of Matabeleland and emanates from the unaddressed scars of extreme violence perpetrated by the military against the Ndebele people in the 1980s.
Gender inequality and discrimination remain an obstacle for advancing women’s rights in Zimbabwe, despite legal protections. Gender-based violence is prevalent and many women are excluded from political participation, higher education, and the labour market. LGBTQIA+ people also face discrimination and violence and homosexual activity between men is illegal.
Looking ahead, Mnangagwa’s succession is the most significant near-term issue. With the president’s second and final term due to expire in 2028, members of Zanu-PF have attempted to circumvent the constitutionally-mandated term limit triggering a succession crisis that has divided the party and destabilised the country. The effects of the crisis, which has resulted in mass protest and surging political violence, may be felt across the GSoD framework. Civil Society will remain an important area to watch, in light of the recent enactment of the Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO) Amendment Act, a law that significantly increases restrictions on civil society organizations.
Last updated: June 2025
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
April 2025
President Mnangagwa enacts bill restricting CSO freedoms
On 11 April, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Act into law. This legislation gives authorities broad powers to regulate the governance of civil society organisations (CSOs), under the stated aim of combating terrorism financing and money laundering. It permits investigations into the funding and ownership of CSOs, and authorises the government to deregister or dissolve organisations, seize their assets, and remove or replace their leadership without judicial oversight. The law also introduces severe penalties, including prison sentences of up to 35 years, for offenses such as misrepresentation or illegal financing. Observers have warned that the law is intended to suppress dissent, and that it will restrict civic space and undermine freedoms of association. In response to the passing of the legislation, the European Union announced the suspension of its planned 2025 funding for governance reforms, citing concerns over the constraints on civic space.
Sources: Zimbabwean Government Gazette, ZimLive, ZimEye, European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe, International IDEA
Zimbabwe makes first compensation payments for farm seizures
On 9 April, the Zimbabwean government announced that it had disbursed the first compensation payments to white farmers whose farms were expropriated under a controversial land reform programme implemented in the early 2000s. Intended to redress the country’s racially skewed land ownership, the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme redistributed approximately 4,500 white-owned farms to black recipients in chaotic seizures that were often marked by violence and illegality. The April payments, which covered 378 farmers, totalled USD 3.1 million in cash and USD 307.9 million in government bonds. A further 362 farmers have been approved for compensation under the same scheme, but many more are seeking a better deal. The payments are part of the IMF’s conditions to restructure the country’s large foreign debt.
Sources: Africa Confidential, Human Rights Watch, The Guardian
March 2025
Zimbabweans shut down the country in first mass protest since 2019
On 31 March, Zimbabweans participated in a national ‘stayaway’ that shut down schools, public transport and businesses across the country in the first mass protest since 2019. The stayaway was in response to calls for street protests against President Mnangagwa made by Blessed Geza, a former member of the ruling Zanu-PF party who is pushing for Mnangagwa to be replaced by his vice president, Constantino Chiwenga, citing corruption and economic mismanagement. However, most chose to stay away rather than take to the streets, amid a heightened police presence. The Zimbabwean police said they had arrested 95 protesters and local press reported that nine journalists were briefly detained. The stayaway took place against a backdrop of growing political tensions over attempts by some within Zanu-PF to extend Mnangagwa’s term beyond the constitutionally mandated limit.
Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation (1), The Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation (2), New Zimbabwe, Africa Confidential
February 2025
Political violence surges amid rising tensions over presidential term extension agenda
Political violence surged in February, driven by rising political tensions over attempts by some within the ruling Zanu-PF party to extend President Mnangagwa’s term beyond the constitutionally mandated limit. These efforts, known as the ‘2030 agenda’, have split the party, pitting Mnangagwa and his allies against another faction led by his vice president. The agenda has also drawn criticism from the political opposition and civil society and has increasingly destabilised the country. The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), an NGO, reported that 7,292 people had been affected by human rights violations in February, up from 3,161 in January 2025 and 1,460 in December 2024. These violations included threats of violence, politically motivated assaults, unfair distribution of food aid, and restrictions on freedom of assembly, association and expression. The majority of abuses were perpetrated by people connected to Zanu-PF and while most victims were politically unaffiliated, ZPP noted an increase in intra-party violence within the ruling party.
Sources: ISS Africa, Africa Confidential, Zimbabwe Peace Project (1), Zimbabwe Peace Project (2), Zimbabwe Peace Project (3)
December 2024
Zimbabwe abolishes the death penalty
On 31 December, President Mnangagwa signed into law the Death Penalty Abolition Bill which, with immediate effect, ends the practice of capital punishment, prohibits Zimbabwean courts from imposing capital sentences and mandates them to re-sentence prisoners who had received a death sentence. The legislation, however, contains a clause authorising the use of the death penalty during a public emergency. Zimbabwe has not carried out the death penalty since 2005, but prior to the legal abolition of the practice courts had continued to hand down capital sentences and, according to Amnesty International, there were at least 59 people on death row at the end of 2023.
Sources: Death Penalty Abolition Act, The Herald, Amnesty International
See all event reports for this country
Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
Performance by category over the last 6 months
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time