Senate approves controversial bill to extend 83-year-old Zimbabwe president’s term

Zimbabwe’s Senate on Wednesday approved a controversial constitutional amendment bill that could allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030, completing the legislative process after the proposal earlier secured support from the National Assembly.

The bill has become one of the most debated political issues in Zimbabwe, where Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu-PF party maintains a commanding majority in parliament and has governed the country since independence in 1980.

Following parliamentary approval, the legislation now awaits Mnangagwa’s assent before it can become law.

Senate President Mabel Chinomona announced that 75 senators voted in support of the bill, while four opposed it.

The National Assembly had earlier passed the measure on June 18, with 216 lawmakers voting in favour and 42 against.

Critics have described the proposed amendments as a “constitutional coup”, arguing that they would significantly alter Zimbabwe’s democratic framework. Among the changes is a provision extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven years.

If implemented, the amendment would prolong Mnangagwa’s final constitutionally permitted term until 2030.

The bill also seeks to transfer the power of selecting the president to parliament, ending the system of direct presidential elections introduced in 1987, seven years after the country gained independence.

Opposition groups contend that the changes are designed to strengthen Zanu-PF’s hold on power in the mineral-rich southern African nation.

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Campaigners who have opposed the amendments have reported cases of intimidation, arrests and violence allegedly carried out by suspected state agents.

Attempts to challenge the amendment process through the courts have also been unsuccessful.

Mnangagwa, widely known by the nickname “The Crocodile”, assumed office in 2017 following a military-backed coup that removed longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who was then 93 and had ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years.

He subsequently won elections in 2018 and 2023, securing two five-year terms.

When the cabinet endorsed the proposal in February, it said the move would “enhance political stability and policy continuity to allow development programmes to be implemented to completion”.

Human Rights Watch said in March that authorities were using violence and intimidation against those opposing the amendments.

“Over the last few months, the police and unidentified armed men have threatened, harassed, and beat up several people who are opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment,” it said in a statement.

(AFP)