The ruling Zanu PF party has intensified the campaign to amend the Constitution to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to retain power beyond his current term, with senior figures openly calling for an extension to 2030 during a party meeting in Highfield, Harare, yesterday.
The push, which
signals a significant political manoeuvre, was unveiled during a Zanu PF
conference feedback meeting, where senior members rallied the party base behind
the controversial idea.
Zanu PF Harare
provincial chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa said Parliament should amend the
Constitution to facilitate the extension of Mnangagwa tenure.
“According to
the conference’s resolution number 1, I was telling the masses that President
Mnangagwa’s term should be extended and that Parliament should change the
Constitution,” Masimirembwa said.
“We cannot
afford to lose the momentum of our development agenda by changing leadership
now.”
Zanu PF
politburo member Omega Hungwe said the proposed constitutional change was a
national test of loyalty for Harare residents, who have religiously voted for
the opposition since 2000.
She said “in
the event of a referendum, Harare residents should not sell out by voting ‘No’
to the extension”.
Central
committee member and businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei argued for continuity,
saying: “President Mnangagwa should continue leading us because we can’t change
a scoring striker.”
For Mnangagwa
to legally stay in power beyond 2028, Zanu PF should navigate a two-pronged
constitutional process.
The current
Constitution, enacted in 2013, limits a president to two five-year terms.
Mnangagwa, who
won his first term in 2018 after toppling the late Robert Mugabe in a November
2017 coup, is serving his second and final term.
The
Constitution states that an incumbent cannot be a beneficiary of changes to the
supreme law, but for that to happen, there are several stages they have to pass
through.
Fears abound
that Zimbabweans will be coerced to vote “yes” in the referenda needed to
facilitate amendments to the Constitution.
Zanu PF, which
holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament, will have to pass a Bill amending
the Constitution.
This requires a
two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate.
Second, since
the amendment affects the term of the President, it must be approved in a
national referendum.
Political
analyst Pardon Taodzera said it was obvious that Zanu PF would change the
Constitution.
“This is no
longer a behind-the-scenes discussion, it is now official party mobilisation
rhetoric,” he said.
“Zanu PF is
testing the waters and simultaneously preparing its supporters for a major
political battle.
“They are aware
of the constitutional hurdles, hence the early start to galvanise their base
and frame the narrative as one of necessary continuity versus chaos.”
However, legal
expert Arnold Humanikwa said changing the Constitution would not be easy for
the ruling party.
“While the
procedure for amendment is clear in the Constitution, the substance of this
particular change raises profound democratic questions,” Humanikwa said.
“The
presidential term limit was a hard-fought provision to prevent the perpetuation
of executive power.
“Any attempt to
remove it must be scrutinised not just for its legality, but for its conformity
with the principles of democratic governance that underpin our supreme law.”
Presidential
term limits were introduced in the 2013 Constitution that was overwhelmingly
endorsed by the nation following the late Robert Mugabe’s reluctance to
relinquish power.
After rising to
power through a coup four years later, Mnangagwa said he was ushering a “new
kind of democracy” in Zimbabwe, but his critics say he has become a worse
autocrat than his predecessor. Newsday
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