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Zimbabwe Senate Approves Amendments That Would Keep Mnangagwa in Office Until 2030

Presidential assent is required for the package to become law as courts consider several legal challenges

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FILE - Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, center, stands next to his chief election agent and Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, left, outside the nomination court in Harare, Zimbabwe, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)
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Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa Picture: Ludovic Marin / AFP

Overview

  • The Senate voted 75 to 4 to pass Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, completing parliamentary approval after the lower house backed the measure the week before.
  • If President Emmerson Mnangagwa signs the bill it will extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven years and push the next presidential vote to 2030.
  • The amendments would end direct popular presidential elections and instead make Parliament the body that selects the president.
  • Passage depended on ZANU-PF’s majority plus several opposition lawmakers who crossed the floor, and the vote has deepened splits inside the opposition ranks.
  • Critics say the changes should require a referendum and point to arrests, harassment and other pressure on opponents while multiple court cases seek to block the amendments.