President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe on Tuesday signed into law a controversial constitutional amendment extending his current term by two years, from 2028 to 2030.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana confirmed his assent to the Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Act, which modifies the Southern African nation’s political, electoral, and judicial systems.
The general elections have been effectively moved to 2030 despite objections by opposition parties, activists, and civil society organizations, who argue that the alteration favors the ruling ZANU-PF.
Henceforth, Zimbabwe’s Heads of State will no longer be elected by voters but by the parliament, a change that lessens the right of citizens to elect their preferred candidates at the polls.
In the highlights, the new legislation extends presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven years, and increases the number of presidential appointments.
The law expands the Senate from 80 to 90 members, scraps public interviews for senior judicial appointments, and creates a new Judge President position within the Supreme Court.
It also transfers voter registration duties from the Electoral Commission to the Registrar-General. The National Assembly approved the bill on June 18, following months of push by the ZANU-PF.
83-year-old Mnangagwa, a former Vice President, became President in November 2017 after the ouster of Robert Mugabe, who ruled for 37 years. The incumbent leader was re-elected in 2023.