President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s alleged bid for a third term has reportedly been thwarted by post-election military strategists aligned to his deputy Constantino Chiwenga.
In an interview with “Brick by Brick” magazine editors Munyaradzi Huni and Baffour Ankomah, Mnangagwa denied third term ambitions, saying he would respect the Constitution.
“Well, I am very happy that Zimbabweans are very imaginative. They can imagine about anything, which shows there is democracy in the country, you see.
“But we in Zanu PF are very democratic and we obey the constitution. There is not an iota of evidence where Zanu PF or I, as President, has ever expressed the violation of our constitution.
“But we allow people to dream properly or widely. They will still wake up and find things are working and the constitution hasn’t changed.”
In terms of the constitution, extending presidential term limits would require amending Section 91 of the constitution, which disqualifies a person “for election as President or appointment as Vice-President if he or she has already held office as President for two terms, whether continuous or not, and for the purpose of this subsection three or more years’ service is deemed to be a full term”.
In terms of the constitution, extending presidential term limits would require amending Section 91 of the constitution, which disqualifies a person “for election as President or appointment as Vice-President if he or she has already held office as President for two terms, whether continuous or not, and for the purpose of this subsection three or more years’ service is deemed to be a full term”.
It is further reported that Chiwenga recently influenced key military appointments, including that of his closest ally Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe as Zimbabwe National Army commander.
Mnangagwa had in 2019 removed Sanyatwe and posted him to Tanzania as ambassador.
Sanyatwe’s return is believed to be a huge advantage to Chiwenga’s political ambition.
Mnangagwa assumed power through a military coup that ousted the late former President Robert Mugabe. In August 2018 he went on to win elections that were disputed by the opposition and the international community.
The Zanu-PF leader again last year won the presidential race with 52,6% against then opposition Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa’s 44%.
Chamisa refused to accept the results, claiming rigging through voter manipulation and suppression of dissent.