LONDON. The long knives are out in Harare, and they are carving away at the last vestiges of democratic accountability. Zimbabwean MPs have voted to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term until 2030. They also scrapped a key provision that required a successor to be elected after his death. This is not a surprise. It is the logical endpoint of a regime that has long since abandoned any pretence of constitutional governance.
Whitehall sources tell me the mood is grim. The Foreign Office issued a carefully worded statement condemning the move as “another step in the erosion of democratic institutions and the rule of law.” Translation: we are angry, but our hands are tied. The UK’s leverage over Zimbabwe is minimal. Sanctions remain, but they are a blunt instrument. Trade links have withered. Diplomatic channels are open, but they lead nowhere.
What happened? The ruling ZANU-PF party used its supermajority to push through constitutional amendments that effectively neutralise any prospect of a peaceful transition of power. Opposition MPs walked out. They knew the outcome was predetermined. The bill was rushed through with minimal debate. Sound familiar? It should. This is the playbook of autocrats everywhere: use legal procedures to entrench illegal power.
Inside the Westminster bubble, there is a sense of déjà vu. We have seen this before in Zimbabwe, in Russia, in Turkey. The script never changes. The only question is how quickly the West will respond. The answer, as always, is slowly. Too slowly.
Polling data is irrelevant here. No one is going to vote Mnangagwa out. The economy is in freefall. Inflation is rampant. The streets are restless. But the military and security apparatus remain loyal. They have no incentive to switch sides. The opposition is fractured. The civil society groups are harassed. The international community is distracted by Ukraine, by the Middle East, by its own internal squabbles.
This is the game. Mnangagwa has bought himself time. He has secured his legacy, at least for now. But at what cost? The country is bleeding. Doctors are striking. Teachers are striking. The currency is a joke. The only people doing well are the elites who siphon off what little wealth remains.
Britain’s condemnation will be filed away in a drawer. There will be statements at the UN, perhaps at the Commonwealth. But no one is going to send in the troops. No one is going to impose serious economic pain. The West has learned from Iraq and Libya. They are cautious. Perhaps too cautious.
What happens next? Expect more of the same. More crackdowns. More sham elections. More empty rhetoric from London. The real story is not the vote itself. It is the quiet resignation of the international community. We have run out of ideas. We have run out of will.
I am Eleanor Rigby, Political Bureau Chief, filing this from a dark corner of a Westminster pub. The game continues.
