On April 9, Zimbabwe's Senate voted 75-4 to approve a constitutional amendment bill that would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 83, to remain in power until 2030. Under the changes, the presidential term would be extended from five to seven years. The National Assembly had already passed the bill last week. The government said the president is expected to sign the law next month.
Another key amendment replaces direct presidential elections with a system where Parliament appoints the head of state. Opposition groups fear these changes will consolidate power for Mnangagwa, nicknamed 'The Crocodile', and his Zanu-PF party, which has ruled since 1980.
Mnangagwa won a second term in the 2023 presidential election with 52.6% of the vote, though the result was criticized by international observers and the opposition. Critics warn that Zimbabwe could return to the repressive era of Robert Mugabe, who resigned in 2017 after 37 years in power. Mugabe was ousted in a coup led by Mnangagwa himself.
Makomborero Haruzivishe, spokesperson for the Constitution Defence Forum (CDF), a group opposing the amendment, said: 'This is a calculated constitutional coup against the people of Zimbabwe. It strips citizens of their fundamental right to directly elect the president, replacing popular sovereignty with the choice of a manipulated legislature.'
Nick Mangwana, permanent secretary of Zimbabwe's Information Ministry, rejected the allegations. 'Portraying a lawful legislative process as a coup is false and deeply disrespectful to Zimbabwe's sovereign parliamentary process. The primary aim is to enhance political stability and ensure policy continuity. We are not abolishing presidential term limits, only adjusting the electoral cycle to reduce the frequency of contentious and polarizing elections,' Mangwana said.
Mangwana also dismissed calls for the constitutional amendment to be approved via a referendum, stating that the attorney general found 'no legal basis' for one.
The opposition says it has been harassed and obstructed. Tendai Biti, a CDF convenor, said security forces broke into his office six times since October 2025. Police responded that officers were sent to Biti's office 'to maintain order'. In another incident in March, lawyer Lovemore Madhuku said he was beaten by a group of men wearing balaclavas, who then drove off in vehicles without license plates, followed by two police cars. Zimbabwe's police force denied involvement. Mangwana urged anyone with evidence of assault to file a formal complaint.
Jameson Timba, a former minister in the 2009-2013 unity government, said he and his allies were prevented from speaking at public consultation events. Mangwana said the consultation process received 537,000 submissions, with 'an overwhelming majority supporting the constitutional changes'. However, Timba countered: 'Those public hearings were not representative of anything. They were a sham.'
