Zimbabwe's ruling party moves to extend President Mnangagwa's term until 2030

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HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party said Saturday it will begin steps to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years, potentially keeping the 83-year-old in power until 2030.

Under Zimbabwe’s Constitution, Mnangagwa is due to step down in 2028 after completing two five-year terms. Any extension would require amending the term-limit provisions.

The resolution, adopted at the party’s annual conference in the eastern city of Mutare, directs the government to “initiate the requisite legislative amendments” to implement the plan, said Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who also serves as ZANU-PF’s legal secretary.

Hundreds of delegates cheered as the motion passed. The party, in power since independence in 1980, controls Parliament, though some legal experts such as lecturer Lovemore Madhuku said that any change in the term limit could require two referendums.

Mnangagwa has previously described himself as a “constitutionalist,” saying he had no plans to exceed his mandate. However, factions loyal to him have campaigned for his stay in office until 2030. Allies of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who led a 2017 coup against former President Robert Mugabe when he was still a general in the military, oppose any extension.

Blessed Geza, a Chiwenga supporter and veteran of of the 1970s war against white minority rule, has used YouTube broadcasts to denounce the campaign, drawing thousands of viewers. But his calls for protests have been muted as police deployed officers.

Mnangagwa did not mention the extension proposal in his closing remark. Chiwenga has not commented on Mnangagwa’s term extension bid or the protests.

Similar constitutional changes have prolonged the rule of several African leaders in recent years.