Zimbabwe’s parliament has passed a controversial bill that would allow the president to remain in office beyond the current two-term limit, a move critics say is a brazen power grab. The constitutional amendment, which still requires senate approval and a possible referendum, would reset the term clock for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, potentially keeping him in power until 2030. The bill was pushed through by the ruling ZANU-PF party, which holds a supermajority in the house.
Opposition MPs boycotted the vote, calling it a ‘betrayal of the struggle for democracy’ in a country still scarred by Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule. For Zimbabweans facing soaring inflation, unemployment above 80 per cent, and daily bread prices that have tripled in a year, this is a bitter distraction from the real economy. Civil society groups warn the move could trigger unrest, with memories of the 2017 coup that ousted Mugabe still fresh.
The bill now heads to the senate, where ZANU-PF also holds a commanding majority.
