Zimbabwe president signs into law constitutional change extending term

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President Mnangagwa

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday signed into law constitutional changes that will extend his term by two years until 2030, the government said.

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The amendments, which also scrap direct presidential elections, have been sharply criticised by opposition figures in the country where 83-year-old Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF party holds a parliamentary majority.

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“SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED — IT’S NOW LAW,” information ministry senior official Nick Mangwana announced in a post on X that showed a copy of the new act.

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The raft of changes — labelled a “constitutional coup” by critics — includes a provision that would extend the presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years.

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Another amendment gives parliament the power to appoint the president, doing away with direct presidential elections that were introduced in 1987, seven years after independence.

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The sweeping changes sailed through both houses of parliament and were finalised by the National Assembly a week ago.

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Zimbabwe’s opposition, weakened by years of repression and tainted elections, charges that the amendments will entrench Zanu-PF’s grip on power in the resource-rich nation, which it has governed since independence in 1980.

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Mnangagwa — nicknamed “The Crocodile” because of his ruthlessness — came to power in 2017 in a military-backed coup that ousted Robert Mugabe at the age of 93 and after 37 years in power.

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AFP

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