MNANGAGWA POWER GRAB? CABINET OKs LAW TO EXTEND PRESIDENCY AND OVERTURN ELECTION SYSTEM
Cabinet has approved a bombshell draft law that could dramatically reshape Zimbabwe’s political future and keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa in power beyond 2028.
The proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill, cleared yesterday, will now be gazetted by the Speaker of Parliament before being subjected to a 90-day public debate. If Parliament passes it, the changes would rank among the most sweeping constitutional overhauls in years.
At the heart of the Bill is a seismic shift in how power is won and held. The President would no longer be elected directly by the people, but instead chosen by Parliament. Presidential and parliamentary terms would be stretched from five to seven years, effectively lengthening time in office.
The Bill also expands presidential influence — from appointing more senators to reshaping control of elections and judicial appointments. Oversight bodies are weakened, with the Gender Commission scrapped and powers consolidated elsewhere.
Supporters call it reform. Critics warn it’s a quiet rewrite of democracy itself.