Zimbabwe Senate Approves Bill to Extend Presidential Term

Zimbabwe’s Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved controversial constitutional amendments that could keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa in office until 2030, completing parliamentary approval after the bill earlier passed the National Assembly.

 

Senate President Mabel Chinomona announced that 75 senators voted in favour of the amendments, while four voted against. The National Assembly had previously approved the bill on June 18 with 216 votes in support and 42 opposed.

 

The bill, which must return to the National Assembly for final approval of technical adjustments before being signed into law, contains sweeping constitutional changes that critics have described as a “constitutional coup.”

 

Among the key provisions is the extension of presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven years. The amendment would effectively prolong Mnangagwa’s final constitutionally permitted term until 2030.

 

Another provision would transfer the power to appoint the president to Parliament, ending direct presidential elections introduced in 1987.

 

Supporters of the amendments argue that the changes will enhance political stability and ensure continuity in implementing government policies and development programmes.

 

However, opposition figures and rights groups have strongly opposed the move, warning that it could further entrench the ruling Zanu-PF party’s grip on power.

 

Senior opposition figure and former senator David Coltart argued that the amendments violate constitutional provisions, including citizens’ right to elect public officials, and should therefore be subjected to a national referendum.

 

“We have no doubt that the faction of Zanu-PF promoting this will ignore their constitutional obligations,” Coltart said, expressing hope that the Constitutional Court would eventually compel a referendum.

 

The Constitutional Court, however, dismissed an earlier challenge to the amendment bill on June 17, ruling that the case lacked legal merit.

 

Human Rights Watch had earlier alleged that authorities were using intimidation, harassment and violence against opponents of the proposed amendments, claims the government has denied.

 

Mnangagwa, 83, came to power in 2017 following a military-backed intervention that removed long-time leader Robert Mugabe from office after 37 years in power. He was subsequently elected president in 2018 and re-elected in 2023.

 

Opposition leaders have vowed to continue challenging the amendments, while government officials insist that public consultations demonstrated broad support for the reforms.

 

The proposed changes remain one of the most divisive political issues in Zimbabwe, where Zanu-PF has governed continuously since the country gained independence in 1980.