WEB DESK: Zimbabwe’s governing party, ZANU-PF, has endorsed a proposal to amend the country’s constitution in order to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030 a move that opposition groups have denounced as unconstitutional.
The plan, adopted during the party’s annual conference, seeks to extend Mnangagwa’s second term by an additional two years beyond its current expiry in 2028. The 83-year-old leader, who first took office after the 2017 ouster of Robert Mugabe, is constitutionally limited to two five-year terms.
Ziyambi Ziyambi, ZANU-PF’s legal affairs secretary and Minister of Justice, announced the decision, stating, “The party and government are directed to initiate the necessary legislative steps to give effect to this resolution to ensure continuity, stability, and sustained national transformation.”
The development comes against the backdrop of growing internal tensions within ZANU-PF, particularly between Mnangagwa and his key rival, former military commander Constantino Chiwenga, who has faced allegations of plotting against the president.
Opposition figures have strongly rejected the proposal. Jameson Timba, a senior opposition politician, warned that governance by party resolutions violates democratic principles. “Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy, and the supremacy of the Constitution cannot be negotiated,” Timba said, urging Parliament’s Speaker and the Justice Minister to clarify the government’s stance.
Democratic Working Group, called the plan a direct challenge to democratic forces. “This is a massive provocation by a party that has always operated in a predatory manner,” he told Reuters, calling for peaceful civic resistance.
Despite earlier statements that he did not intend to cling to power, Mnangagwa appears positioned to follow a path similar to other long-serving African leaders. ZANU-PF, which has dominated Zimbabwean politics since independence in 1980, currently enjoys a strong parliamentary majority, giving it the power to push through constitutional amendments.
The proposed term extension adds another layer of political tension to a nation already grappling with economic instability and heavy debt burdens.
