HARARE – The National Assembly of Zimbabwe has approved a controversial bill that lets President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa stay in power until 2030 and changes how presidential elections are run.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 passed Thursday with 216 votes in favor and 42 against, surpassing the two-thirds majority threshold of 187 required for constitutional changes.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where the ruling ZANU-PF party’s control through traditional leaders and proxies makes passage almost certain.
The proposed amendments would delay elections until 2030, a shift from 2028, lengthen the presidential term to seven years, and hand the power to elect the president to a joint sitting of Parliament.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, the bill’s sponsor, defended the legislation before lawmakers, rejecting criticism that it undermines Zimbabwe’s constitutional order.
“This bill does not give the president a term extension or a third term. It does not take away the right to vote. It does not postpone elections. It is a product of practical experience and institutional reflection… requiring refinement to enhance functionality, coherence, and service to national progress,” Ziyambi told parliament in previous sittings.
Barnabas Gura, along with many other Zimbabweans, described the bill as a power grab that would weaken democracy and give just 210 lawmakers the power to elect a president for 15 million people.
“I just cannot believe that these are the people who want to elect a president on behalf of everyone. Only 210 members of parliament vote on behalf of a population of 15 million. It is preposterous,” said Barnabas Gura.
The parliamentary committee report claimed 99.4% of submissions supported the changes, but activists allege the consultation process was marred by violence and intimidation.
Suspected state security agents reportedly abducted and tortured several opponents, and in Chiredzi, suspected ZANU-PF youths assaulted activist Gilbert Mutebuki after preventing him from speaking against the bill.
Zimbabwe would join a growing African trend of extended rule if the law is enacted, where some of the world’s oldest leaders continue to govern its youngest populations.
The shift puts Zimbabwe alongside Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 93, who has been in power since 1982; Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang, 84, ruling for 47 years; and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, 84, who began a fourth term in December 2025.
The long list also includes the president of Malawi, Peter Mutharika, 85, who was also reelected last year, and the president of Uganda, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, 81, who was sworn in for a seventh term in May this year.
Social justice activist Pride Mkono earlier warned that the bill would create a one-party state, as the opposition is rendered too weak to challenge ZANU-PF’s dominance.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union president, Obert Masaraure, said that the amendment would weaken democracy and allow elites to loot resources, exploit workers, and dehumanise citizens.
“The amendment of this bill will severely weaken the country’s fragile democracy, allowing elites to freely loot national resources, exploit workers, destroy the environment and dehumanise our people without restraint,” Masaraure warned.
Tatenda Chikumbu, a Harare resident, said that the bill’s passage followed a cloud of bribery, with businessman Wicknell Chivayo offering lawmakers millions of dollars and later giving vehicles and cash to supporters of the bill.
“If they can be bribed and vote for the bill, how can I trust them to vote for the president once the amendment is done?” asked Tatenda Chikumbu.
With the bill headed to the Senate, opponents are turning to the courts. Several legal challenges have been filed, including a High Court application seeking to stop enactment without a referendum.
However, some cases have already been dismissed on technical grounds, and many Zimbabweans have lost confidence in the judiciary’s independence.
The bill’s fate now rests with the Senate, but with ZANU-PF’s firm grip on power, opponents are bracing for its passage and preparing for a prolonged battle over Zimbabwe’s democratic future.
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