Zimbabwe’s 83-year-old president signs law to delay elections and extend his own term

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed into law constitutional amendments that abolish direct presidential elections, postpone the next vote and extend his tenure, according to a government notice issued on Tuesday, despite strong opposition from critics.

Mnangagwa, already one of the world’s oldest serving leaders at 83, had previously pledged to step down when his second and final term ends in 2028.

But his ruling ZANU-PF party, backed by some lawmakers from the fractured opposition, pushed the amendments through Parliament, making Zimbabwe the latest African country to amend its constitution in a way that allows an incumbent president to remain in office longer.

Parliament approved the amendments in June. They postpone the next election, scheduled for 2028, by two years, effectively extending Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030.

The revised constitution also scraps public voting in presidential elections, with lawmakers now responsible for choosing the president, and extends the terms of the president and MPs from five years to seven.

The changes have drawn criticism from human rights lawyers, civil society groups, opposition politicians and some veterans of Zimbabwe’s 1970s liberation war, who argue that extending presidential terms requires approval through a national referendum.

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Supporters of the amendments contend that Parliament had the authority to pass the changes because the constitutional two-term limit remains unchanged, even though each term would now be longer.

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The amendments have deepened political tensions in the southern African nation of about 15 million people. In recent months, police have banned public meetings, arrested and detained some critics of the reforms, while others have alleged harassment and intimidation.

Zimbabwe’s courts have yet to rule on several legal challenges seeking to overturn the amendments.

Mnangagwa has ruled Zimbabwe since 2017, following the military-backed ouster of his longtime mentor, former President Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019.

AP’s Africa coverage at: