8th Parliament of Zimbabwe

The 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe's membership was set by the 31 July 2013 election, which gave the incumbent ruling party, ZANU–PF, a parliamentary majority, with control of both the Senate and the National Assembly. One Independent candidate was elected, and the MDC-T won the remaining constituency seats in the National Assembly. The breakaway MDC party, led by Welshman Ncube, won 2 seats each in the Senate and Proportional Representation Women's Quota.

Per Section 143 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the 8th Parliament officially began the day the president-elect is sworn in. Per Section 145 (1) of the Constitution, the president advises as to the date of the official opening of Parliament, and Section 145 (2) stipulates that the date will be officially set by the Clerk of Parliament. The official opening of Parliament must not be held more than 30 days after the presidential inauguration.

The 8th Parliament was rocked by political in-fighting between the various factions of the MDC. Members were recalled at various points and replaced by rival MDC candidates (see below for more detail). There was also in-fighting within ZANU-PF, with members allied to Vice-President Joice Mujuru being recalled.

The 2013 Constitution required comprehensive amendment of the Electoral Act to accommodate the new PR systems for women's seats in the Assembly and elected senators. The existing Act lacked mechanisms for filling vacancies in party-list positions. The Electoral Amendment Act (No. 6 of 2014) was only gazetted in late 2014, creating a legal lacuna that prevented replacement of deceased or resigned party-list senators for over a year. Vacancies arising shortly after the 2013 elections thus remained unfilled until August 2014, when ZANU–PF submitted names to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission under the new procedures.^[1][2]

The Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai suffered a debilitating schism in 2014 when senior members, including secretary-general Tendai Biti and deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma, challenged Morgan Tsvangirai's leadership after the 2013 electoral defeat. Suspensions and counter-suspensions followed, culminating in the formation of the MDC Renewal Team (later United Movement for Democratic Change under Biti and Welshman Ncube).

In early 2015, Tsvangirai's faction invoked section 129(1)(k) of the Constitution – which terminates a seat if a member ceases to belong to the sponsoring party – to recall 21 MPs perceived as aligned with the breakaway group. Speaker Jacob Mudenda declared the seats vacant in March 2015. By-elections held in June 2015 were boycotted by MDC–T, resulting in ZANU–PF sweeping 16 seats uncontested or with minimal opposition, further entrenching its two-thirds majority.^[3][4]

Intense succession battles within ZANU–PF erupted after the 2013 victory. Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and allies were accused of plotting to assassinate or overthrow Mugabe, charges rooted in the rivalry between the "Gamatox" faction (associated with Mujuru) and the emerging "Lacoste" group backing Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mujuru was expelled from the party in December 2014 and dismissed as vice-president.

Several Mujuru-aligned MPs and ministers faced expulsion threats, but ZANU–PF largely avoided mass recalls to prevent costly by-elections in potentially vulnerable rural seats and to conserve finances. Instead, suspensions of varying lengths were imposed on many, while outright expulsions were limited. Three MPs – Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (Mwenezi East), Ray Kaukonde (Marondera Central), and David Butau (Mbire) – were expelled and their seats declared vacant in 2015.^[5][6]

In 2017, Parliament passed the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 1) Bill, removing public interviews for the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, and Judge President of the High Court, allowing presidential appointment after mere consultation with the Judicial Service Commission. The bill sparked controversy over judicial independence. Debate in the Senate centred on whether a two-thirds majority had been achieved amid vacant seats; opponents argued the threshold should be calculated on total membership (80), not present members. The government insisted on voting members. The bill passed and was assented to by Mugabe on 7 September 2017, though later challenged (the Constitutional Court in 2020 declared the original Senate passage invalid but suspended invalidity to allow re-passage).^[7][8]

The dismissal of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa on 6 November 2017 – seen as clearing the path for First Lady Grace Mugabe – triggered the military intervention of 14–21 November 2017. Described by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces as an operation to target "criminals" around Mugabe rather than a coup, armoured vehicles entered Harare, state media was seized, and Mugabe was confined to house arrest.^[9]

On 19 November, ZANU–PF's Central Committee removed Mugabe as party leader, replacing him with Mnangagwa, and set a resignation ultimatum. When Mugabe defied it in a televised address, Parliament convened a rare joint sitting on 21 November at the Harare International Conference Centre (the Parliament chamber being too small). The motion for impeachment under section 97 of the Constitution – charging Mugabe with serious misconduct, failure to uphold the Constitution, and loss of public confidence – was moved by ZANU–PF Senator Monica Mutsvangwa and seconded by MDC–T MP James Maridadi, symbolising cross-party unity.

As the impeachment committee began work, Speaker Mudenda announced Mugabe's resignation letter, effective immediately. Jubilant scenes erupted in the chamber and streets. Mnangagwa was sworn in as president on 24 November 2017, pledging a "new unfolding democracy".^[10][11]