Wycliffe MuiaAnd
Alfred Lasteck
EPA-EFE
Zimbabwe’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill to extend the presidential term from five to seven years, which would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.
More than 200 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill on Thursday, surpassing the voting threshold required for a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution.
The bill also removes direct presidential elections, with future presidents chosen by Parliament.
Mnangagwa, 83, took power in 2017 after toppling longtime leader Robert Mugabe with the support of the military – and won contested elections in 2018 and 2023.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is also expected to be approved, before being signed into law by the president.
It is the culmination of a campaign by the ruling Zanu-PF party – in power since independence in 1980 – to amend the constitution and extend the presidential term, a plan which received cabinet support in February.
The president has previously described himself as a constitutionalist and pledged to respect term limits.
During Thursday’s vote, Parliament Speaker Jacob Mudenda announced that 216 MPs supported the bill, surpassing the 187 votes required to amend the constitution. Forty-two deputies voted against.
The amendment contains several provisions:
- The presidential elections – organized since 1990 – are canceled
- Parliament elects the next president
- Parliamentary and presidential mandates extended from five to seven years
- Legislative elections scheduled for 2028 postponed to 2030
- President Mnangagwa, whose second and final term is due to end in 2028, remains in office until 2030.
Opposition parties, civil society groups and constitutionalists have argued that these fundamental changes should be put to a national referendum rather than approved only by Parliament.
Initially hailed by his supporters as a reformer capable of restoring economic growth and democratic governance, Mnangagwa’s presidency has instead been marked by economic challenges, contested elections and growing concerns about democratic backsliding.
The latest constitutional changes have intensified debate over Zimbabwe’s political future, with opponents warning the amendments could weaken democratic accountability, while supporters argue they are necessary to ensure continuity and stability.
A new constitution adopted in 2013 limits a president to a maximum of two terms, adding that any measure to extend term limits would have to be approved by voters in a referendum and that a sitting president cannot receive any extension unless voters give their approval in a second referendum.
However, on Wednesday the country’s Constitutional Court rejected a legal challenge aimed at blocking the bill.
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