University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Eldred Masunungure, has said the ongoing Constitutional Amendment process is among other things meant to give President Emmerson Mnangagwa power to appoint his successor.
Masunungure was commenting on the proposed removal of the running mate clause which required that a presidential candidate nominates his running mate who would automatically take over in the event of the president’s resignation or demise. Speaking to Daily News on Sunday, Masunungure said:
Mnangagwa is trying to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor (the late Robert) Mugabe. He wants to appoint someone who is weak who can listen to him.
He wants someone who can protect his interests even if he leaves his position. He wants to appoint and disappoint. If you have a running mate, you don’t have the power to choose your successor. Mnangagwa wants all the power to be concentrated on him.
He can thus appoint someone who he thinks can be his successor and in so doing, he will be blocking his internal rivals who have ambitions to be president.
With a running mate clause, the president has no power to dismiss his deputies and they can only be removed through an impeachment instituted by Parliament.
Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi last year said Mnangagwa’s successor would not be decided by the president, but by the people through an election.
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