Zimbabwe’s ruling party has decided to prolong the president’s term until 2030
Zimbabwe’s decision Opposition legislators have blasted the ZANU-PF party’s constitutional amendment proposal, which would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years, until 2030.
Adopted late Saturday at a party meeting, the plan would extend the 83-year-old president’s second five-year term, which is presently scheduled to expire in 2028.
The resolution coincides with a succession dispute within ZANU-PF, in which former army commander Constantino Chiwenga, Mnangagwa’s principal internal opponent, has been charged with treason.
To guarantee continuity, stability, and the long-term transformation of the country, Ziyambi Ziyambi, Minister of Justice and ZANU-PF secretary for legal affairs, informed delegates, “The party and government are therefore directed to initiate the requisite legislative amendments to give full effect to this resolution.”
A seasoned politician and prominent figure in a splintered opposition organization, Jameson Timba, stated that party orders or conference resolutions shouldn’t control Zimbabwe.
“We are a constitutional democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution must remain non-negotiable,” he declared in a statement announced on Sunday.
Timba encouraged “civic vigilance and peaceful defence” of constitutionalism and demanded both the justice minister and the speaker of parliament provide formal clarification.
Robert Mugabe, the country’s original leader, was overthrown by a military coup in 2017, and Mnangagwa, who has stated that he has no intention of holding onto power, took over.
He must resign in 2028 after two five-year mandates, according the constitution.
The Southern African country has been governed by ZANU-PF since gaining independence from Britain in 1980. The party has a resounding majority in parliament and is working to strengthen the economy and pay down crushing debt.
The facilitator of the National Democratic Working Group, an advocacy group, Job Sikhala, told Reuters that “it is going to be the biggest challenge to the democratic forces in the nation on how we are going to respond to this huge provocation by a political party whose modus of operation has always been predatory.”
