Zimbabwe’s cabinet has approved proposed constitutional amendments aimed at extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030, a move that has sparked strong opposition calls for a national referendum.
Zimbabwe’s cabinet on Tuesday approved sweeping constitutional changes as part of a bid to extend the term of 83-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa until 2030, drawing sharp criticism from opposition figures who warned that any such amendments must be subjected to a national referendum.
Mnangagwa, who came to power in 2017 following a military-backed coup that ousted long-time leader Robert Mugabe, is currently serving a term due to end in 2028. His ruling Zanu-PF party announced plans in October to extend his stay in office, under what it has termed a “2030 agenda”.
According to a cabinet statement, the approved amendments include extending the presidential term from five to seven years and transferring the power to elect the president from the electorate to parliament. Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the bill would undergo “legal scrubbing” by the attorney general before being gazetted and introduced to parliament, as opposition leaders vowed to “defend the constitution against its capture” amid a police crackdown on protests.
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