Zimbabwe’s government on Tuesday introduced a bill to parliament proposing a two-year extension to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term, lasting until 2030, despite criticism from the opposition and some war veterans.
The draft legislation is listed for debate on Wednesday at a second reading in parliament.
Mnangagwa, 83, is meant to step down in 2028 after serving two five-year stints as head of state, but his supporters want to change the constitution to extend presidential terms from five years to seven.
They also want presidents to be elected by parliament rather than by direct popular vote.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi introduced the bill in the lower house of parliament.
Political analysts expect it to sail through as Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party has a two-thirds majority in the lower house and also overwhelmingly controls the upper house through traditional leaders and other proxies who generally vote with it, giving it the numbers to change the constitution.
Ziyambi has said previously that he expects the legislative process will take about a month.
ZANU-PF has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, first under longtime leader Robert Mugabe and then Mnangagwa, who took over after a 2017 coup.
On Tuesday, a group of retired generals and former civil servants publicly opposed the bill that would extend Mnangagwa’s time in power.
They said they had met with Mnangagwa last month to voice their concerns, but he told them “whoever wins, wins”, referring to whether the bill would pass.
Some war veterans and activists also challenged the bill in the Constitutional Court, which reserved judgment while it considered their arguments.
