On August 23, 2023, Zimbabweans will go to the polls to vote for the president of the country and members of the parliament (MPs). Of the 11 candidates currently running for president, there are two clear frontrunners: President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Unity-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, and Nelson Chamisa of the main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Human Rights Watch spent two weeks in Zimbabwe in April and May 2023. Twenty-eight (28) people were interviewed, including representatives from the main opposition party, election observer groups, lawyers, human rights activists, and ordinary citizens. These people provided first-hand accounts on electoral conditions in the country ahead of the August 23, 2023, elections. Human Rights Watch's research found that rights critical for Zimbabwe's election, such as to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, are imperiled. Violence, intimidation, harassment, and repression linked to ZANU-PF and aimed principally at CCC members and civil society activists have restricted civic and political space. The environment for a credible, free, and fair election has been grossly diminished.

More on This

Rights Group Warns of Escalating Violence Ahead of Zimbabwe Polls

• Rights Group Worries About Escalating Violence Ahead of Polls
• Nation Fails to Meet Standards for Free, Fair Polls on August 23 - Rights Group
• Zimbabwe's Rulers Won't Tolerate Opposing Voices - but Its Writers Refuse to Be Silenced
• African Rights Commission Flags Violence Against Women Ahead of 2023 Harmonised Elections
• Govt Has Neither Acknowledged Nor Apologised For August 1 Shootings - Rights Group

Opposition Suffers Another Setback Ahead of Zimbabwe Elections

• Opposition Suffers Another Setback, Double Candidates to Feature On Ballot
• CCC Accuses Zanu-PF of Unconstitutional Election Manoeuvre After Candidates' Disqualification
• High Court Disqualifies 12 Opposition CCC Aspiring MPs in Bulawayo
• State Media Breaching Constitution - Opposition CCC
• Over 300 CCC Meetings Approved By Police, 65 Banned - Govt Tells Election Observer Missions

Zimbabwe Mourns the Death of Popular Cleric Ezekiel Guti

• Ezekiel Guti's Body to Be Repatriated This Weekend
• Ezekiel Guti - Revered Zimbabwean Church Leader Who Preached Hard Work and Morals Over Miracles
• Mass Mourning As Zimbabwean Cleric Ezekiel Guti Dies At 100
• Guti Was More Patriotic Than Many Zimbabweans Says Apostolic Christian Council - Calls for National Hero Status
• Mnangagwa Praises Bishop Guti for Positively Impacting Citizens' Lives in Condolence Message
• Zaoga Declares 30 Days of Mourning for Guti
• I Helped Guti Establish ZEGU - Says Ex-Governor Martin Dinha As He Pays Tribute to Late Zaoga Founder
• Zaoga Founder Archbishop Guti Dies

Opposition Leader Chamisa Readies Zimbabwe Election Campaign

• A Life or Death Election, Says Opposition's Chamisa As Party Finally Launches 2023 Campaign
• CCC Adopts Door-to-Door Campaigns After Police Bar Several Opposition Rallies
• Chamisa Bemoans Move to Bar Kasukuwere From Elections, Says He Wanted to Beat Him, Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe Polls Close, Poll Observers Arrested

• Police Say Charges Against Election Monitors to Be Made Public in Court After Late Night Arrests
• President Announces Extended Voting in Areas Affected by Delays
• Polls Close Following Voting Delays
• Electoral Body Targeted Harare, Bulawayo, Says Chamisa As Voting Starts As Late As 7pm
• Zimbabweans At Beitbridge Border Sceptical About Elections
• Zimbabwe Election - Why the Youth Vote Matters
• Political Parties, Citizens Geared for Poll
• Zimbabwe Has Been Struggling for 43 Years, This Is Our Time Says Desperate Young Voters, Hope for a New Dawn
• Presidential Elections in Zimbabwe
• South Africa Opposition Leader Mmusi Maimane Tells Zimbabweans to 'Vote for Change'
• Can Nelson Chamisa Win? He Appeals to Young Voters but the Odds Are Stacked Against Him
• We Will Not Allow a Repeat of 2018 - Says Chamisa As He Turns Heat On ZEC, Mnangagwa
• Country's Election 'Already Stolen'

What You Need to Know Before Zimbabwe's Election

• Zanu-PF Warns of Clampdown Should Citizens Protest Election Outcome
• Any Hope for Democratic Change?
• Election Commission Declines Several Observer Applications
• Mnangagwa's Last Rally Was Show of Power
• President Was Security Minister When Genocidal Rape Was State Policy in 1983-4. Now He Seeks Another Term
• The Role of Domestic Observers in Elections
• Zanu-PF Holds Last Presidential Star Rally in Mnangagwa's Home Province
• Nonsense, Mnangagwa Tells Observer Missions Demanding Free and Fair Elections
• What You Need to Know Just Days Before Zimbabwe's Election
• Zanu-PF Appoints Headmen as Polling Agents Despite Ban on Traditional Leaders Engaging in Partisan Politics
• Good Governance Watchdog Deported From Zimbabwe Days Before Polls
• Polls Body Allays Opposition Fears of Double Voting
• 40 Opposition Activists Arrested Over Car Rally Remanded in Custody