Zimbabwe Bill Extends Presidential Term Limit, Warns Of Backsliding Democracy – The Organization for World Peace

This week, Zimbabwe’s lower parliament passed a bill that would amend the Constitution to extend the presidential and parliamentary term limits from five years to seven, as well as place the power to elect the president in the hands of parliament, stripping this power from the people. This will allow 83-year-old President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030, rather than limiting his term until 2028. This comes after what Human Rights Watch has reported as a crackdown in Zimbabwe on democratic freedoms and the introduction of regressive laws throughout the last 18 months.

Mnangagwa first took office in 2017 when he ousted Zimbabwe’s first president and his own former mentor Robert Mugabe. While Mugabe was ushered out of the office to the tune of mass demonstrations and a military takeover, “The Crocodile,” as Mnangagwa is known, has made little effort to fix the problems resulting in his rise to power. The nickname comes from his ruthlessness, with some former comrades in the liberation movement referring to him as a “very cruel man” (BBC). He is associated with some of the most atrocious acts in Zimbabwe perpetrated by government powers and shows little potential for softening. 

This bill further supports what the Associated Press has coined the “staying power of Africa’s aging leaders.” Despite having the youngest global populations, Africa has increasingly aging leaders, with octogenarians among several kings, prime ministers, and presidents, including the 91-year-old President Paul Biya of Cameroon. As the leading class ages, the grip on power tends to loosen, and often leaders will resort to depriving their citizens of their rights in order to maintain their hold on leadership. Zimbabwe is a prime example of this pipeline with the reality of democratic backsliding becoming more and more harsh as time passes.

Supporters of the new bill claim that it will strengthen accountability and foster political stability, while opposition members call it an excuse for Mnangagwa to expand his tenure beyond the legal limit, despite calling himself a constitutionalist (Reuters). Zimbabwe’s constitutional amendment follows a similar trend of aging African leaders changing term limits to retain their power in government, and threatens the democratic rights of Zimbabweans. One aspect of the bill places the responsibility of choosing the president in the hands of the parliament, something that used to be a right of the citizens (BBC). This bill takes steps towards dismantling popular representation and key tenets of functional democracy. 

This backsliding of democratic ideals in Zimbabwe is not unique or novel; however, it raises a warning flag for the rest of the world about the threats of overextended political greed, the dangers of unrepresentative leaders, and threats to human and civil rights. It is important that countries with strong democratic institutions fight to protect the impartiality and functionality of these institutions and, in turn, the rights of their citizens. The world owes it to all Zimbabweans to pressure governments to keep promises to those they serve and to act in good faith using the power granted to them.