This post discusses the past presidents of Zimbabwe, it also gives a brief history of the head of states, rank and election of the presidents.
The president of Zimbabwe is the head of state of Zimbabwe and head of the executive branch of the government of Zimbabwe. The president chairs the national cabinet and is the chief commanding authority of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces.
BRIEF HISTORY
From 1965 to 1970 the head of state under the UDI was the Monarch in person of Elizabeth II, who simultaneously reigned as the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Read: POLITICAL HISTORY OF ZIMBABWE
Ian Smith’s government continued to affirm allegiance to Elizabeth II as Queen of Rhodesia from the UDI until 1970, but this was not acknowledged by the international community.
The ‘Monarch’ was represented in Rhodesia by the Officer Administrating of the Government, because Smith and his cabinet ignored Sir Humphrey Gibbs the Governor of Southern Rhodesia.
Rhodesia became a republic under the Constitution of 1969, adopted following the 1969 constitutional referendum, and the ‘Monarch’ and Officer Administrating of the Government were replaced by a ceremonial President of Rhodesia.
The incumbent president is Emmerson Mnangagwa, installed on 24 November 2017 after his predecessor, Robert Mugabe resigned in the aftermath of a 2017 coup d’état.
PRESIDENTS OF ZIMBABWE (1980–PRESENT)
| No. | President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election |
| 1 | Canaan Banana (1936–2003) |
18 April 1980 | 31 December 1987 | 7 years, 257 days | ZANU | – |
| 2 | Robert Mugabe (1924–2019) |
31 December 1987 | 21 November 2017 | 29 years, 325 days | ZANU–PF | 1990 1996 2002 2008 2013 |
| – | Phelekezela Mphoko (born 1940) Acting |
21 November 2017 | 24 November 2017 | 3 days | ZANU–PF | – |
| 3 | Emmerson Mnangagwa (born 1942) |
24 November 2017 | Incumbent | 5 years, 216 days | ZANU–PF | 2018 |
Phelekezela Mphoko was the second (and only sitting) vice-president at the time of Mugabe’s resignation on 21 November 2017. Mphoko may have been acting president of Zimbabwe for three days until Mnangagwa’s accession to the presidency. However, as Mphoko was not in the country at the time, and due to the unusual circumstances, any official standing on this is unclear and may never be known.
RANK BY TIME IN OFFICE
| Rank | President | Time in office |
| 1 | Robert Mugabe | 29 years, 325 days |
| 2 | Canaan Banana | 7 years, 257 days |
| 3 | Emmerson Mnangagwa | 5 years, 216 days |
LATEST ELECTION
Emmerson Mnangagwa ran for election in 2023 as the ZANU–PF candidate. Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main opposition party MDC-T, had died earlier in the year and been replaced by Nelson Chamisa. Chamisa ran as the MDC Alliance candidate against Emmerson Mnangagwa. Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected without the need for a runoff, winning 50.8% of the vote to Chamisa’s 44.3%. The election result was disputed by the MDC Alliance.