Zimbabwe’s election fees for presidential, parliamentary and council candidates are among the highest in Africa, with nominations charges for running for the country’s highest executive post topping those of several African states.
In Statutory Instrument (SI)144 of 2022 published by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in August this year, with approval of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, the national election management body hiked the nomination fees for presidential candidates by staggering 1,900 percent.
The following tables show Zimbabwe’s new nomination fees, and those of a number of African countries.
Nomination fees for Presidential Candidate
Country | Category | Amount (USD) |
Zimbabwe | all | 20,000 |
Zambia | Male | 5,873 |
Female | 4,636 | |
Youths | 3,709 | |
Persons with Disabilities | 3,709 | |
Kenya | All | 1,666 |
Malawi | Male | 1,945 |
Female | 973 | |
Persons with Disabilities | 833 | |
Namibia | Independent Candidate | 670 |
Political Party Candidate | 134 | |
South Africa | 0 | |
Botswana | 0 |
Nomination fee for Member of Parliament or Equivalent
Country | Category | Amount (USD) |
Zimbabwe | All | 1,000 |
Zambia | Male | 927 |
Female | 835 | |
Youths | 618 | |
Persons with Disabilities | 618 | |
Malawi | Male | 486 |
Youths | 365 | |
Female | 243 | |
Persons with Disabilities | 243 | |
Kenya | Male | 167 |
Female, Youths, Persons with Disabilities | 83 | |
Botswana | All | 39 |
South Africa | All | 31 |
Nomination fees for Local Councillor
For Local Councillors, South Africa ranks highest in the selected African countries followed by Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana and other countries which do not require nomination fee for this position, including Zimbabwe.
Country | Category | Amount (USD) |
South Africa | 125 | |
Zambia | Male | 93 |
Female | 62 | |
Youths | 62 | |
Persons with Disabilities | 62 | |
Kenya | All | 42 |
Malawi | Male | 39 |
Youths | 29 | |
Persons with Disabilities | 19 | |
Female | 19 | |
Botswana | 8 | |
Zimbabwe | 0 | |
Namibia | 0 |
References
https://veritaszim.net/node/5851
https://zec.org.zw/download/nomination-court-requirements/
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/politics/article/2001436251/uda-slashes-nomination-fees-for-women
https://www.iebc.or.ke/electionlaws/?Gazette_Notices
Factsheet compiled by Dylan Dzenga, an intern at ZimFact and member of a fact-checking club at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare.