ZANU PF’s alleged plan to push for a constitutional amendment to scrap the presidential term limit is “an affront to our democracy”, MDC leader Douglas Mwonzora has said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second and final five-year term ends in 2028 but a new ZANU PF slogan has emerged which suggests the ruling party wants his term of office extended indefinitely.
Mnangagwa has not distanced himself from the “2030 vaMnangagwa vanenge vachipo” (In 2030 Mnangagwa will still be in power) slogan which has gained traction since the disputed 23 August 2023 general elections.
Addressing journalists at the MDC headquarters, the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House in central Harare on Thursday, 29 March, Mwonzora described the calls as “irresponsible”. He said, as quoted by NewZimbabwe.com:
None of the top officials including Mnangagwa himself have distanced themselves from these irresponsible calls and unconstitutional intentions.
Our constitution makes it clear that a president serves a maximum of two terms of five years.
It makes it clear that any proposed amendments to extend term limits should be subjected to Referendum and even where the amendment succeeds, such an amendment should not benefit the incumbent.
These calls are an affront to our democracy. They dent our image as a constitutional democracy.
It will further cement the unfortunate international image of Zimbabwe as a pariah state. This will never end our international isolation.
We demand that ZANU PF should honour the national constitution and should stop any effort to desecrate it, that Mnangagwa must himself as the first upholder of the national constitution reject calls that he should go for a third term.
ZANU PF recently attained a two-thirds majority in Parliament’s lower house after State institutions allowed an unknown CCC activist, Sengezo Tshabangu, to remove legitimately elected party MPs paving the way for ZANU PF to win the seats in subsequent by-elections.
Although ZANU PF does not have a majority in the Senate, Chiefs and CCC senators nominated by Tshabangu will most likely ensure the passage of any constitutional amendment.
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