1996 Zimbabwean presidential election

none April 2022 Zimbabwe presidential 1990 Zimbabwean general election 1990 2002 Zimbabwean presidential election 2002 16–17 March 1996 Robert Mugabe Official Portrait (4x5 cropped).jpg Robert Mugabe ZANU–PF 1,404,501 92.76% Muzorewa 1978 b.jpg Abel Muzorewa United Parties 72,600 4.80% President Robert Mugabe ZANU–PF Robert Mugabe ZANU–PF Presidential elections was held in Zimbabwe on 16 and 17 March 1996. The elections were contested by the incumbent President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe Rhodesia-era Prime Minister Abel Muzorewa, and ZANU–Ndonga leader Ndabaningi Sithole. Mugabe won, claiming over 90% of the vote, though turnout was just 32.3%, largely as a result of Sithole and Muzorewa withdrawing their candidacies shortly before the election (though their names remained on the ballot) due to threats of violence. Muzorewa and Sithole withdrew too late for their names to be removed from the ballot, so the election went on with all of Mugabe, Muzorewa, and Sithole as available candidates; in a state television broadcast, Mugabe urged Zimbabweans to vote anyway, possibly in an effort to make the election appear more legitimate. The elections were not free and fair, as the ruling Mugabe regime and ZANU-PF party engaged in extensive electoral manipulation.What Presidential Election in 1996? 2023 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/election-violence-in-zimbabwe/what-presidential-election-in-1996/E6B4C120E65838CCEE3C525CFF435C35 Election Violence in Zimbabwe: Human Rights, Politics and Power 113–127 Kwashirai Vimbai Chaumba Cambridge University Press 10.1017/9781108120265.007 978-1-107-19081-8 subscription 1996 Election Watch https://muse.jhu.edu/article/697486 Journal of Democracy 7 3 1086-3214 The election took place amid an economic crisis. A perception among Zimbabweans that the election was merely a formality, even before Muzorewa and Sithole withdrew, contributed to low voter turnout.Low Turnout in Zimbabwe The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/world/low-turnout-in-zimbabwe.html 17 March 1996 16 June 2025 Sithole (who was under virtual house arrest due to charges of attempting to assassinate Mugabe) withdrew after claiming that Mugabe's ZANU–PF was undermining his campaign, whilst Muzorewa pulled out after the Supreme Court turned down his bid to postpone the elections on the basis that the electoral rules were unfair (as state funds were only available to parties with 15 or more seats in parliament).Zimbabwe President's Last Rival Withdraws From Election New York Times, 16 March 1996 In December 1997 Sithole was convicted of conspiring to assassinate Mugabe; he appealed but died whilst out on bail. He was 80 years of age.2000-12-12 Zimbabwe's veteran nationalist dies https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1067955.stm 2024-11-20 en-GB Results Robert Mugabe ZANU–PF 1404501 Abel Muzorewa United Parties 72600 Ndabaningi Sithole ZANU–Ndonga 36960 43497 4822289 African Elections database References Category:Presidential elections in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Presidential