ZANU PF : NO REFERENDUM FOR 2030

Zanu PF has escalated it’s Annual National People’s Conference resolution to extend President Mnangagwa’s term of office beyond 2028 to Parliament, with the party saying there is no need for a referendum as the polls will be postponed to 2030 via a Constitutional Amendment.

Speaking at the Mashonaland Central Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting on Saturday, Zanu PF National Political Commissar Cde Munyaradzi Machacha said the resolution, which was adopted at the 21st Zanu PF Annual National People’s Conference in Bulawayo in October last year, is now in the implementation phase.

“At a party policy meeting last Monday, we agreed to allow the Parliament of Zimbabwe to implement Resolution Number One as presented at the conference. There is no going back in implementing the resolution,” he said.

Cde Machacha said those opposed to the resolution should have voiced their opinions at the conference or at provincial and district coordinating committee meetings.

“Those who do not support the resolution were free to debate it at the conference, Provincial Coordinating Committee meetings, or District Coordinating Committee meetings. We are now at the implementation stage,” he said.

In a separate address at a Zanu PF Harare Youth inter-district meeting on Saturday, Harare Provincial Chairman Cde Godwills Masimirembwa elaborated on the plan to amend the Constitution to extend President Mnangagwa’s term by two years, pushing the next elections to 2030.

“After Parliament amends the Constitution by postponing the elections, it is not necessary to go for a Referendum. There will be no need for a Referendum. Parliament was directed to amend the Constitution in line with Resolution Number One,” Cde Masimirembwa said.

He clarified that the proposed amendment aligns with Section 91(2) of the Constitution, which stipulates that a person is disqualified from running for president if they have already served two terms, with each term defined as three or more years.

“The Referendum is only necessary if we interfere with the term limit provision, which is a three-year period. If the President serves less than three years, it’s not considered a full term. He falls within the term limit of the presidential term provision,” Cde Masimirembwa said.

Further, he said the proposed extension does not violate constitutional term limits, as it only postpones the elections to 2030 without altering the two-term cap.

“This will be in line with the two-term limit of the President according to the country’s Constitution. He will be within the confines of the two-term limit. What is required is just to postpone the elections up to 2030. There is no need to worry about interference with the term limit, so the party resolution is in tandem with the term limit provision,” Cde Masimirembwa said.

Herald

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