ZimbabwBy Enyichukwu Enemanna
The governing party in Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF, says it is planning to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years, taking his presidency through to 2030.
The proposal was confirmed by a spokesman for the party on Tuesday, a move that violates the country’s constitution, which limits the president’s tenure to two terms of five years each.
Mnangagwa’s constitutionally mandated second term is expected to end in 2028.
The Director of Information for Zanu-PF, Farai Marapira, said the decision was a party position but did not provide specific details on how the extension would be implemented.
When asked whether the planned tenure extension would require changing the constitutional term limit, Marapira said th “modalities have not been decided.”
Since gaining independence from Rhodesia in 1980, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), which later became the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), has been in charge of the presidency.
Former President Robert Mugabe was, however, removed in a successful, non-violent military coup in 2017.
His over three-decade regime was marked by violence, fear, and a clampdown on dissenting voices and opposition leaders.
In 2013, Mugabe signed a new constitution into law that limits presidential terms, but it did not apply retroactively, allowing him to remain in office for an additional ten years until his removal.
Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe, is now seeking to extend his rule beyond 2028, a move likely to stir political debate and raise questions about the future of Zimbabwe’s democratic processes.
