Zimbabwe Opposition Falters as Zanu-PF Pushes Constitutional Changes
The bill has drawn opposition resistance because it would postpone the 2028 general elections to 2030 and shift the authority to choose the president from voters to Parliament.
With a coordinated show of strength, Zanu-PF packed public hearings on a Constitutional Amendment Bill that seeks to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030.
Supporters were ferried from towns such as Beatrice to sessions in Dema and Chitungwiza, where some filed written affidavits endorsing the proposal. The hearings again laid bare the opposition’s disarray, with its leaders struggling to mobilize a counter-presence.
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Opposition figures, meanwhile, accused the Parliamentary Committee running the hearings of shutting them out. Former cabinet minister David Coltart said there were deliberate efforts to keep his voice out of the proceedings.
The bill has drawn opposition resistance because it would postpone the 2028 general elections to 2030 and shift the authority to choose the president from voters to Parliament.