Section 101: Succession in event of death, resignation or incapacity of President or Vice-
Constitution of Zimbabwe
President
(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), if the person elected President in any election dies, resigns or is removed from office—
(a) the Vice-President or, where there are two Vice-Presidents, the Vice-President who
was last nominated to act in terms of section 100, acts as President until a new
President assumes office in terms of subsection (2); and
(b) the vacancy in the office of President must be filled by a nominee of the political party
which the President represented when he or she stood for election.
(2) A political party which is entitled to nominate a person in terms of subsection (1) (b) must notify the Speaker of the nominee’s name within ninety days after the vacancy occurred in the office of President, and thereupon the nominee assumes office as President after taking the oath of President in terms of section 94, which oath the nominee must take within forty-eight hours after the Speaker was notified of his or her name.
(3) In the event of the death, resignation or removal from office of a person who is elected President in an election and who did not represent a political party when he or she stood for election, the Vice-President or, if there are two Vice-Presidents, the Vice-President who was last nominated to act in terms of section 100, assumes office as President.
[Section substituted by s. 9 of Act No. 2 of 2021]
Insight: Presidential Succession in Zimbabwe
This constitutional provision establishes a clear line of succession that differs based on whether the President was affiliated with a political party. For party-affiliated Presidents, their party retains power by nominating a replacement, maintaining political continuity rather than automatically elevating the Vice-President to the presidency. This approach prioritizes party representation over individual succession, distinguishing Zimbabwe's system from many other presidential democracies where Vice-Presidents automatically succeed to the presidency upon vacancy.