Zimbabwe to scrap presidential elections
A constitutional storm is brewing in Zimbabwe as the ruling Zanu-PF party advances legislation that would fundamentally reshape how the country selects its leader, stripping ordinary citizens of the right to vote for a president and handing that power to parliament.
The proposed amendments, which parliament is expected to pass in the coming weeks, would also stretch both presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, delay scheduled 2028 elections to 2030, and effectively keep 83-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa in office beyond his constitutionally mandated final term.
For the opposition, the move is nothing short of a power grab.
“This is a coup, a slow coup that is unfolding in Zimbabwe,” said veteran opposition politician and former finance minister Tendai Biti.
Zanu-PF, which has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, pushes back firmly against that characterisation.
“There’s nothing that stops us to change, to go to another system that’s less costly, less controversial,” said party official Patrick Chinamasa.
Hearings marred by chaos
Public hearings held by parliament recently were intended to gauge citizens’ views on the proposed changes, but they quickly became a flashpoint. Thousands packed a sports arena in Harare, with speaker after speaker voicing support for Mnangagwa’s continued rule.
However, when critics of the bill attempted to speak, the atmosphere turned hostile. Witnesses described pushing, shoving, and physical altercations, with mobile phones snatched and journalists ordered to delete footage.
Opposition lawyer and leading parliamentarian Fadzayi Mahere pinned the disorder squarely on Zanu-PF.
Chinamasa denied the ruling party’s involvement, questioning what motive they would have for such disruption.
“What reason what do we have as Zanu-PF to be violent when the masses are behind us? The opposition does not accept that their view is failing to prevail,” he said.
A pattern of suppression, critics say
Beyond the hearing rooms, opposition groups report a broader crackdown. Police reportedly banned over a dozen opposition meetings in the lead-up to the hearings. National Constitutional Assembly leader Lovemore Madhuku says he was attacked by masked assailants last month while police stood by. Biti himself is currently out on bail, charged with holding a public meeting without official permission.
“We have a history of repression [in Zimbabwe],” he said.
The reform campaign, which began in 2024 under the rallying cry “2030, he will still be the leader”, had faced internal resistance within Zanu-PF. Its most prominent internal critic, Blessed Geza, known as “Bombshell” died earlier this year.
A constitutional collision course
At the heart of the dispute is Zimbabwe’s 2013 constitution, which capped the presidency at two terms and explicitly required a public referendum before any term extension could take effect, with an additional referendum needed before a sitting president could personally benefit from such changes.
Zanu-PF contends no referendum is necessary, arguing that the two-term limit technically remains intact; only the length of a term is changing.
Critics reject that reasoning entirely, insisting the move violates the constitution and will face legal challenge. They also warn it sets a dangerous precedent.
“If they can get away with two years what stops them from getting away with 20 years?” Biti asked.
Chinamasa framed the reforms as a stabilising measure rather than a permanent power consolidation.
“It’s just that for this moment we would want to continue the political stability. We want to continue the economic development that is taking place since his excellency took over in 2018. When his time is up we will choose other leaders,” he said.
The opposition remains unconvinced, drawing direct parallels to the authoritarian era many Zimbabweans lived through under former president Robert Mugabe, whom Mnangagwa himself helped oust in a 2017 military-backed takeover.
“They are making the mistake that Mugabe made. That of closing [the democratic] space absolutely,” Biti warned.
Source: BBC
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