Zimbabwe's leader rules out extending presidency terms

Harare — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa says he is not extending his presidency beyond the current two five-year terms allowed by the country’s constitution. There are some who have expressed skepticism about his stated commitment to the constitution.

Chants by members of the ruling ZANU-PF party echoed in the air as those gathered at party headquarters awaited the arrival of President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. They said Mnangagwa will still be in power in 2030 — two years after what the constitution allows him. The slogans were repeated as Mnangagwa arrived and addressed the crowd.

"Besides being a soldier, trained lawyer, I am a constitutionalist. I want our party, our leadership, our people to be constitutionalists. We must abide by the provisions of our constitution to the letter,” said Mnangagwa.

In his native language, Shona, Mnangagwa added, “When time comes to go home, I will go! Let’s follow the principles of the party,” gaining more cheers.

After ruling for nearly 40 years, the late Robert Mugabe was removed from power with help from the army and succeeded by Mnangagwa, who became interim president in November 2017. Mnangagwa won a disputed election in 2018.

Kudzai Mutisi, a pro-ZANU-PF political commentator, said he believes Mnangagwa will not be like Mugabe.

“What is important here is that he is addressing some of the people who have been lobbying him to stay beyond 2028. So whatever people have been saying or whatever people have been thinking has nothing really to do with him, it is what they, as lobbyists, they as commenters have been brewing their heads and voicing out, but what we heard is the president's voice, the president's position and that's what we should respect and stick to as we go forward,” he said.

Some Zimbabweans fear Mnangagwa may change the constitution to seek a third term. This concern comes after the Constitutional Court in 2021 overturned the high court, allowing current Chief Justice Luke Malaba to remain on the job until age 75, instead of being forced to retire at age 70.

Brighton Mutebuka, a lawyer opposed to the views of the ruling party, said he still believes Mnangagwa — also known as ED from the initials of his first and middle names — will change the constitution so that he stands for a third term in 2028.

“By coming out publicly to claim otherwise, ED is trying to hoodwink the gullible in his party, the other faction and also SADC. ... And mind you, he has previously himself come out publicly and corralled his Cabinet ministers into pledging loyalty to this 2030 slogan, in Chikomba district,” said Mutebuka.

SADC refers to the Southern African Development Community — a 13-nation bloc that looks at how members are abiding by their constitutions.

An SADC observer mission looking into Zimbabwe’s August 2023 elections said the polls failed to meet the bloc’s standards. Mnangagwa’s party criticized the team that compiled the report. Zimbabwe will take over the 12-month rotating chair of the SADC following a meeting next week.