No Need For A Referendum To Extend Mnangagwa's Term, Says Masimirembwa
ZANU PF says there is no need for a referendum to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second and final term from 2028 to 2030, as the elections will be postponed to 2030 via a Constitutional Amendment.
At its 21st Annual National People’s Conference in Bulawayo in October 2024, ZANU PF resolved to extend Mnangagwa’s term by two years.
Addressing a ZANU PF Harare Youth inter-district meeting on Saturday, Harare Provincial Chairman Godwills Masimirembwa explained the plan to amend the Constitution to extend President Mnangagwa’s term. Said Masimirembwa (via The Herald):
After Parliament amends the Constitution by postponing the elections, it is not necessary to go for a Referendum. There will be no need for a Referendum. Parliament was directed to amend the Constitution in line with Resolution Number One.
He asserted that the proposed amendment aligns with Section 91(2) of the Constitution, which disqualifies anyone from running for president after serving two terms, with each term defined as three or more years. Said Masimirembwa:
The Referendum is only necessary if we interfere with the term limit provision, which is a three-year period. If the President serves less than three years, it’s not considered a full term. He falls within the term limit of the presidential term provision.
Masimirembwa argued that the proposed extension does not violate constitutional term limits, as it merely postpones the elections to 2030 without changing the two-term cap. He said:
This will be in line with the two-term limit of the President according to the country’s Constitution. He will be within the confines of the two-term limit. What is required is just to postpone the elections up to 2030.
There is no need to worry about interference with the term limit, so the party resolution is in tandem with the term limit provision.
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