President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly ordered his ZANU PF party to fast-track internal constitutional amendments to enable him to plot the succession roadmap in consultation with the proposed council of elders.
Insiders told NewsDay Zimbabwe that the amendments, which are scheduled to be tabled at the party congress set for next month, would enable Mnangagwa to step down as State President after serving his two five-year terms and continue as party president.
ZANU PF secretary for legal affairs Paul Mangwana told NewsDay Monday 26 September 2022 that the council of elders would comprise ZANU PF old guard retired from government and deployed to the party to serve as advisers to the State President. Without giving specific timelines, Mangwana said:
We have a council of elders made up of former Presidents and other senior members and their duty is to advise the President and settle disputes, especially among senior members.
We have created the council of elders and it will be appointed this year.
Mangwana dismissed the claims that Mnangagwa wants to amend the ZANU PF constitution to allow him to remain the leader of the party after his two maximum terms in office as State President expire, saying that would be unconstitutional.
He said the ZNU PF constitution is in harmony with the national Constitution. Mangwana added that whereas the ZANU PF party constitution has no term limits, it says whoever is party president becomes the party’s presidential candidate for national elections.
Mangwana also dismissed speculation that the presidential candidate as well as his deputies would be handpicked by the party leadership.
Mnangagwa announced in 2019 that the ruling party would establish a war veterans league and a council of elders to restore unity and discipline in the party.
Succession issue:
The issue of succession was topical in ZANU PF during the last years of former President Robert Mugabe who refused to name a successor allegedly as a way to cling to power.
It is resurfacing amid reports of factional fights in the ruling party with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga allegedly leading a faction that intends to succeed Mnangagwa or take power by all means if need be.
So far, Mnangagwa has indicated his intentions to hold on to power to at least 2030. Zimbabwe goes to the polls in 2023.