How does Zimbabwe elect their president? Harare, Zimbabwe – On August 23, Zimbabweans head to the polls to choose the country’s next president in what political pundits believe will be a tight race. Eleven candidates are vying for the top position. Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa wins second term, opposition rejects result list 2 of 4 ‘Suffering is continuing’: Mnangagwa declared winner in Zimbabwe election list 3 of 4 One family has led Gabon for 56 years. Can this election bring a new era? list 4 of 4 Harare residents fear violence as questions simmer over Zimbabwe election end of list But the race is largely seen as a rematch between Nelson Chamisa, the 45-year-old opposition leader and the man who defeated him in the 2018 presidential election, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the incumbent president. Mnangagwa, 80, who took over the reins from Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first president, after a November 2017 coup, is the leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). Chamisa has led the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) since it was formed in January 2022 after a split from the Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance, previously the leading opposition party. The field also includes activist and constitutional law professor Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constituent Assembly. Douglas Mwonzora, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) withdrew his candidacy on August 8 saying the election is a farce, but the electoral commission has said the ballot papers had already been printed. A total of 6.5 million people have registered to vote across the 12,340 polling stations in the country’s 10 provinces. This is the ninth election since independence in 1980 for the country of an estimated 15.5 million people. The state of the country’s economy is likely to be a core concern for voters. Zimbabwe continues to face significant economic challenges, including high unemployment rates, hyperinflation, and the currency’s loss of more than 80 percent of its value to the dollar just this year. Corruption has been a longstanding problem in Zimbabwe, eroding public trust in the government. Earlier this year, a four-part Al Jazeera documentary series with shocking revelations of gold smuggling by individuals linked to the government, triggered outrage in the country. Inadequacy of quality healthcare, education, energy and basic services is often a pressing concern for citizens in Zimbabwe. Besides the presidential election, Zimbabweans will also elect local council representatives and members of parliament. Since the 2013 Constitution, the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, the lower house of Zimbabwe’s parliament, comprises 270 members. Of those, 210 representatives are elected through single-member constituencies. The remaining 60 seats are specifically designated for women and are allocated using proportional representation across 10 constituencies, each containing six seats. This proportional representation was based on the geographical divisions of the country’s provinces. On the day of the election, each voter casts a single ballot, a decisive factor in the distribution of seats to the respective parties for both categories of seats.