HARARE, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe President Emmerson
Mnangagwa is pushing for an overhaul of the country’s constitution in a move
critics say is meant to influence his succession after he abruptly abandoned a
bid for a third term.
President Mnangagwa, 81, is
serving his second and last term after succeeding long time ruler Robert Mugabe
following a military coup in 2017, but a loud campaign was already visible for
him to run for another term in four years’ time.
Soon after his controversial
election last year, which were condemned by most foreign observers as not
credible, the octogenarian leader started hinting on a third term with slogans
that suggested he will still be in charge in 2030.
On February 21, during
celebrations to mark the late Mr Mugabe’s birthday anniversary, Vice President
Kembo Mohadi made the first public call by a ruling Zanu-PF official for
President Mnangagwa to hang on to power.
At the same celebrations, Ezra
Chadzamira, a provincial minister, told President Mnangagwa: “We all want you
to stay in office beyond your presidential term. You will be there in 2030.”
At the time the president
said: “I don’t have the power to say (I will stay) as this matter is in the
hands of God.”
The campaign for the third
term appeared to be gaining momentum as shown through sloganeering at ruling
party gatherings and factional realignments reminiscent of the Mugabe years
where Zanu PF succession battles eventually culminated in the military coup six
years ago.
After a groundswell of
opposition to the third term bid in the security sector and even from within
his Zanu PF party, President Mnangagwa announced a week ago that he will no
longer stay beyond his constitutionally mandated two terms.
His administration is now
pushing for constitutional amendments that observers say will roll back major
electoral reforms that were initiated following the intervention of the
Southern African Development Community in 2008 to end the cycle of disputed polls
in Zimbabwe.
Some of the proposed
constitutional changes would include the transfer of key responsibilities such
as voter registration from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to a
government department.
The drawing of electoral
boundaries will also be taken away from the independent elections management
body and given to a commission appointed by the president, if the
constitutional amendments said through as expected.
President Mnangagwa’s ruling
Zanu PF now controls Parliament’s lower house after controversial recalls of
opposition legislators soon after the 2023 polls.
An activist, who claimed that
he was secretary general of the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change
(CCC), was allowed to recall the legislators before the courts were used to
block them from contesting their seats.
CCC leader Nelson Chamisa was
subsequently forced to abandon the party as he protested that it had been
hijacked by people pushing for the Zimbabwean leader to run for a third term.
Critics say the proposed
constitutional changes will give President Mnangagwa the power to choose a
successor so that he continues to be influential in Zimbabwe’s politics beyond
his rule after failing in his bid to extend his rule beyond the two terms.
“(The amendments will) further
compromise the independence of ZEC by allowing separate government bodies to
perform roles directly linked to the commission’s duties,” the Zimbabwe
Electoral Supervisory Network said.
“This (will) jeopardise the
commission’s stewardship of elections, and ultimately erode citizens’
confidence and trust in electoral processes.”
During his reign, President
Mnangagwa has faced persistent accusations that he manipulates the law to
create a one-party state.
In 2021, he pushed through 27
constitutional amendments at one go and these included removing a clause that
provided for the election of a vice president as a running mate.
It was seen as a way of
eliminating Vice President Constantino Chiwenga from the succession race.
Retired Gen Chiwenga led
the coup that toppled Mr Mugabe as army commander and is said to have
presidential ambitions.
The constitutional amendments
were also used to extend the tenure of senior judges, who are appointed by the
president in consultation with the judicial service commission, instead of
being subjected to public interviews as was the case before.
Observer missions said the
judiciary played a key role in deciding the outcome of 2023 elections, which
was rejected by his main rival, Mr Chamisa.
The Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition (CiZC) said the proposed constitutional amendments were meant to
entrench authoritarianism.
“The proposed amendments to
the Electoral Act will bring the integrity of Zimbabwe’s elections into further
disrepute while perpetuating Zimbabwe’s legitimacy crisis,” CiZC said.
“The Coalition notes with
utter disdain the continued mutilation of the constitution as part of efforts
to entrench political power and authoritarianism.
“It is regrettable that
instead of the constitution reflecting the will of the people of Zimbabwe, it
has now become a tool for power hungry individuals to push their selfish
interests.”
Lovemore Madhuku, a
constitutional law expert, said a third term bid was always a bad idea given
Zimbabwe’s history with Mr Mugabe.
“This idea of a third term is
totally undemocratic and ought not to be pursued,” Professor Madhuku said.
“A person is better off in the
first 10 years if they are lucky to be in office twice, but to just think of a
third term would be very retrogressive in our country because we used to have a
constitution that didn’t limit the number of terms that a person could serve as
a president.”
Mr Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe from
its independence from Britain in 1980 until his unceremonious removal from
office.
President Manangagwa was his
closest lieutenant until the last days of his rule where the two had a nasty
fallout over succession politics.
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