Executive Summary

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is an Election Management Body established in terms of Section 238 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Its main function is to prepare for, conduct and supervise all elections and referendums in Zimbabwe. The year under review saw the successful conduct of the Harmonized Elections, by-elections and the conclusion of the delimitation exercise in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. In addition, all vacant proportional representation seats in the National Assembly and local authorities were filled in terms of the law. The Commission was allocated ZWL$896 billion to support the electoral processes of which ZWL$664 billion (74%) was accessed.

With a full complement of Commissioners, 2023 saw the Commission meeting six (6) times in line with the provisions of the law. In addition, the Commission recruited sixty-six (66) new employees, with 40% being females and 60% being males.

Whilst maximizing on fourteen (14) languages out of sixteen (16) which are enshrined in the Constitution, the Commission made use of various methods and media platforms to provide electoral related information to the masses. Voter registration played a pivotal role in as far as inclusion is concerned within the electoral process. With regards to voter registration, 2023 saw a total number of 705243 voters being registered of which 330979 were male and 374264 were female.

The  Commission  conducted  an  annual  stock-take  in  terms  of  the  Public  Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19]. In accordance with section 92(2) of Public Procurement and Disposal Assets Act [Chapter 22:23].  the Commission also disposed obsolete assets and equipment which included vehicles and furniture among other things and  realized a total amount of USD168000. The Commission also conducted renovations at its head office, provincial, district offices as well as warehouses.

Finally, during the year under review, the Commission participated at various international events. These events are important for knowledge sharing and benchmarking of electoral standards.