Head of Government and Chief of State
Conventional Long Form Name of country: Republic of Zimbabwe
Capital City: Harare
Type of Government: Semi-Presidential Republic
Date of Independence: 18 April 1980
National Holiday: Independence Day, 18 April
Chief of State: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE
Head of Government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE
Description of Executive Branch: Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to House of Assembly, each presidential candidate nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least 1 candidate from each province) and directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 July 2013 (next to be held in 2018); co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership
Description of Legislative Branch:bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (80 seats; 60 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - 6 seats in each of the 10 provinces - by proportional representation vote, 16 indirectly elected by the regional governing councils, 2 reserved for the National Council Chiefs, and 2 reserved for members with disabilities; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (270 seats; 210 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 60 seats reserved for women directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch:Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges),Supreme Court judges appointed by the president upon recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body consisting of the chief justice, Public Service Commission chairman, attorney general, and 2-3 members appointed by the president; judges normally serve until age 65 but can elect to serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judge appointment NA; judges serve non-renewable 15-year terms
Suffrage: 18 years of age
Name of Zimbabwe's Ambassador to the U.S.: Ammon Machingambi Mutembwa
Location of Zimbabwe's embassy in the U.S.: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20009
Location(s) of Zimbabwe's consulate(s) in the U.S.
Washington D.C.
Name of U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe: Incumbent Harry K. Thomas, Jr
Location of U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe: Harare, Zimbabwe
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) in Zimbabwe:
Harare, Zimbabwe
Name of Zimbabwe's representative to UN: Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava
Description of the Symbolism of flag: a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green represents agriculture, yellow mineral wealth, red the blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people
Video of their national anthem being played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1rrukF-eQ
National Symbol(s): Zimbabwe bird symbol, African fish eagle, flame lily; national colors: green, yellow, red, black, white
Descriptions of International Disputes: Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration
Quantity of refugees inside country and origin of refugees: 5,414 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: undetermined
Quantity of Stateless Persons: 300,000 people
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Women and girls from Zimbabwean towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia are subjected to forced labor, including domestic servitude, and sex trafficking in brothels catering to long-distance truck drivers on both sides of the borders. There are continuous reports of Zimbabwean women lured to China and the Middle East for work where they are vulnerable to trafficking.
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use:With the worsening economic and social difficulties in the country, many Zimbabweans are now turning to hard drugs, with cocaine and other narcotics seemingly the most favoured intoxicants.There have been questions on how drugs were brought into the country, with theories ranging from them being trafficked by cross-border traders to them being smuggled in imported ex-Japanese cars.
Capital City: Harare
Type of Government: Semi-Presidential Republic
Date of Independence: 18 April 1980
National Holiday: Independence Day, 18 April
Chief of State: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE
Head of Government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE
Description of Executive Branch: Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to House of Assembly, each presidential candidate nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least 1 candidate from each province) and directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 July 2013 (next to be held in 2018); co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership
Description of Legislative Branch:bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (80 seats; 60 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - 6 seats in each of the 10 provinces - by proportional representation vote, 16 indirectly elected by the regional governing councils, 2 reserved for the National Council Chiefs, and 2 reserved for members with disabilities; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (270 seats; 210 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 60 seats reserved for women directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch:Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges),Supreme Court judges appointed by the president upon recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body consisting of the chief justice, Public Service Commission chairman, attorney general, and 2-3 members appointed by the president; judges normally serve until age 65 but can elect to serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judge appointment NA; judges serve non-renewable 15-year terms
Suffrage: 18 years of age
Name of Zimbabwe's Ambassador to the U.S.: Ammon Machingambi Mutembwa
Location of Zimbabwe's embassy in the U.S.: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20009
Location(s) of Zimbabwe's consulate(s) in the U.S.
Washington D.C.
Name of U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe: Incumbent Harry K. Thomas, Jr
Location of U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe: Harare, Zimbabwe
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) in Zimbabwe:
Harare, Zimbabwe
Name of Zimbabwe's representative to UN: Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava
Description of the Symbolism of flag: a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green represents agriculture, yellow mineral wealth, red the blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people
Video of their national anthem being played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1rrukF-eQ
National Symbol(s): Zimbabwe bird symbol, African fish eagle, flame lily; national colors: green, yellow, red, black, white
Descriptions of International Disputes: Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration
Quantity of refugees inside country and origin of refugees: 5,414 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: undetermined
Quantity of Stateless Persons: 300,000 people
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Women and girls from Zimbabwean towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia are subjected to forced labor, including domestic servitude, and sex trafficking in brothels catering to long-distance truck drivers on both sides of the borders. There are continuous reports of Zimbabwean women lured to China and the Middle East for work where they are vulnerable to trafficking.
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use:With the worsening economic and social difficulties in the country, many Zimbabweans are now turning to hard drugs, with cocaine and other narcotics seemingly the most favoured intoxicants.There have been questions on how drugs were brought into the country, with theories ranging from them being trafficked by cross-border traders to them being smuggled in imported ex-Japanese cars.