Constitutional dispute in Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa wants to stay longer
The government is planning constitutional amendments that violate the constitution. Incumbent President Mnangagwa is to remain in office until 2030 – by which time he will be 87 years old.

Growing tensions and heated debates are the reaction in Zimbabwe to the government's decision to initiate a constitutional amendment that would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office even after the end of his second and currently last constitutional term in 2028 – when he would be 85 years old.

The 2013 constitution, adopted by referendum, limits the number of terms a head of state can serve to two five-year terms for the first time. On Tuesday evening, the cabinet approved a draft bill that extends the president's current term by two years until 2030 and abolishes the direct election of the president by the people. He will then be elected by parliament, as in South Africa and Angola.

The bill is certain to be passed by parliament, where the ruling ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union/Patriotic Front) has an absolute majority. Legal experts are now warning that such far-reaching constitutional changes without a referendum set a precedent for even more far-reaching encroachments on the rule of law and democracy.

The proposed constitutional amendment is completely unacceptable,” says Professor Lovemore Madhuku, leader of the opposition party NCA (National Constitutional Assembly), which was formed in 2013 out of opposition to the new constitution at the time. “The people who are pushing this forward have no respect for the people. The NCA and I will be at the forefront of a total rejection of these proposals.”

The constitution sets very high hurdles for amendments

Article 328 of the constitution lays down clear rules for fundamental constitutional amendments, such as those relating to the length of the president's term of office. They must first be widely discussed in public, then passed by a two-thirds majority in parliament, and finally approved by the population in a referendum. They also do not apply to incumbent or former presidents. Changing these rules would require separate legislative proposals and referendums, which critics say are now being disregarded. Constitutional lawyer Fadzayi Mahere of the former civil rights group CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change) is calling for a national mobilization to defend democratic norms: “If there was ever a time for all Zimbabweans who love their country to unite, it is now. These planned constitutional changes are the greatest threat to our society in our lifetime. We need new leaders.”

“The proposed constitutional amendment is completely unacceptable,” says Professor Lovemore Madhuku, leader of the opposition party NCA (National Constitutional Assembly), which was formed in 2013 out of opposition to the new constitution at the time. "The people who are pushing this forward have no respect for the people. The NCA and I will be at the forefront of the fight to have these proposals rejected outright."

She likened the plans to the government's previous abuses of power: "They have destroyed our lives, now they want to destroy the constitution. This is the final nail in the coffin for our democracy. Why should a president with very broad powers be afraid to seek a proper mandate from the people? We fought the war of independence for the principle of ‘one person, one vote’, not ‘one MP, one vote’."

Zimbabwe's own history should serve as a warning. Robert Mugabe, who ruled the country from independence in 1980, first as prime minister and then as president, remained in office until the military deposed him during a popular uprising in late 2017. Omar al-Bashir in Sudan in 2019 and Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso in 2014 suffered a similar fate. None of these countries has since returned to stability.

There are also voices of concern in neighboring countries. In South Africa, opposition politician Mmusi Maimane, former leader of the largest opposition party DA (Democratic Alliance), called the plans “terrible.” He said, "The longer a brutal dictatorship rules in Zimbabwe, the less we will be able to cope with the migration crisis in South Africa. We cannot tolerate presidents for eternity and family dynasties."

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

At the end of last week, 47-year-old Chamisa launched his new movement, “Agenda 2026,” which he presented as a broad-based citizens' movement. “Zimbabwe needs a fresh start,” Chamisa said in the capital Harare.

“Zimbabwe needs a new path. This new path begins with a long-term reflection on a crucial truth: that until now, political alternatives have too often been built on a corrupt, compromised, weary, and sterile past.”

Agenda 2026 stands for “a clear break with the mistakes of the past,” Chamisa continued. “It is a commitment to rethink Zimbabwe and rebuild our nation on the basis of democratic values, constitutional loyalty, competence, and care.”

From MDC to CCC to Agenda 2026
The announcement was met with rather skeptical reactions. Exactly two years earlier, on January 24, 2024, Chamisa had resigned from the leadership of his original opposition movement, the CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change).

At the time, he cited the CCC's infiltration by ZANU-PF and the state as his reason for leaving. His departure left the CCC in chaos, with disputes over leadership and finances.

Chamisa now says that traditional political parties are too open to infiltration and division. A liberation movement could better unite the nation.

At 47, the trained lawyer and theologian is relatively young by Zimbabwean political standards, but he is a political veteran. Back in 1999, he joined Morgan Tsvangirai in founding the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change), which emerged from Zimbabwe's trade unions – the country's first opposition party to pose a threat to ZANU-PF under its first president, Robert Mugabe.

Chamisa was Minister of Information in Zimbabwe's government of national unity, which Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed to form after the controversial 2009 elections and which lasted until 2013. He took over the leadership of the MDC in 2018 when Tsvangirai died. The party then split and lost the first elections in Zimbabwe without Mugabe in 2018, who had been deposed by the army at the end of 2017 and replaced by Mnangagwa.

Chamisa lost again to Mnangagwa in the next elections in 2023. This time he ran as the CCC candidate. It was obvious that the opposition was exhausted. Shortly afterwards, Chamisa withdrew from politics.

The ruling ZANU-PF party is rubbing its hands with glee

Many of his former comrades-in-arms are now cautious about his return and Agenda 2026. They say he should first apologize to those he left behind two years ago. Rachel Rusenza says, “We no longer have any trust in you, to be honest. Last time, you left us in the lurch without any explanation.”

Exiled former minister Jonathan Moyo expressed concern that Chamisa's new movement could suffer a similar fate to his last one. “Nothing is easier to infiltrate than a party launched by a single individual and posing as a movement. If that happens, will Chamisa run away again?”

The ruling party ZANU-PF is satisfied that Chamisa, who has been defeated several times, now wants to try again. “We are happy that Chamisa is back,” the party sneered on its social media channel “Zanu-PK Patriots.” “We had no opposition and we became complacent, we had started fighting each other.”

ZANU-PF is divided, with one faction behind President Mnangagwa and another behind Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. Chiwenga wants to become president when Mnangagwa's second and constitutionally final term ends in 2028. Supporters of the now 83-year-old president, on the other hand, want to extend his term until at least 2030.