Zimbabwe cabinet agrees plan to extend president's term to 2030
Africa
By
AFP
| Feb 11, 2026
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa. [AFP]
Zimbabwe's cabinet on Tuesday approved sweeping changes to the constitution as part of a bid to extend 83-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term till 2030, angering opposition figures who warned any changes had to be put to a national referendum.
Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 in a military-backed coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, who was president for 30 years, and his Zanu-PF announced plans in October to extend his term beyond 2028.
The approved amendments include extending the presidential term from five to seven years and having parliament choose the president instead of the electorate, a cabinet statement said.
The bill would undergo "legal scrubbing" by the attorney general before being published in the government gazette and introduced to parliament, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said.
READ MORE
Tea farmers against some clauses in the tea amendment bill
Ruto strips agriculture body of coffee role in sector shake-up
French aid worker killed in DR Congo air strike
Rwanda hits back at US sanctions over M23 support in DR Congo
US slaps sanctions on Rwanda military over DR Congo 'violation'
DR Congo, M23 fighters trade accusations over ceasefire
Angola proposes new DR Congo ceasefire
South Africa to withdraw troops from UN mission in DR Congo
Kipyegon among super-fast stars invited for Sirikwa Classic XC tour
Opposition politicians and analysts insisted it would require the approval of two-thirds of both houses of parliament, which is weighted towards the Zanu-PF, and a national referendum.
The ruling party's "2030 agenda" has been on the cards for months, prompting opposition leaders to vow to "defend the constitution against its capture".
Attempts to demonstrate against the plan have been met with a police crackdown that put scores of people in jail.
A post-cabinet statement said the amendments it had passed would "enhance political stability and policy continuity to allow development programmes to be implemented to completion".
Other provisions include allowing the president to appoint 10 more senators, boosting the Senate to 90 seats.
'Instability'
The constitutional limit of two five-year presidential terms was introduced in 2013.
Mnangagwa was elected to a five-year term in 2018 and again in 2023 but has been accused of allowing rampant corruption to the benefit of his supporters while suppressing human rights.
"Any amendment which has the 'effect' of extending an incumbent's tenure should be subjected to a referendum," opposition politician David Coltart told AFP after the cabinet statement.
"They know that if that happens, they will fail, so they will do all in their power to prevent a referendum from happening," said Coltart, who is mayor of the country's second city Bulawayo.
"I have no doubt that it will be given 'judicial cover' by an appropriate judgement being issued by the Constitutional Court stating that they don't have to have a referendum," he added.
Democracy advocate Professor Lovemore Madhuku said the cabinet's move was "totally unacceptable", and risked causing major upheaval in the former British colony.
"As far as we know, they do not even have a referendum on the agenda," he told AFP. "It's an unthinkable way of trying to do politics and ... it is going to cause political instability."
"It's clear that the attack on the democratic framework in the country requires nothing but a political response," he said, predicting a "painful struggle" ahead.
Zimbabwe's opposition, fragmented and weakened after years of repression, has failed so far to mount significant resistance to the "2030 agenda".
"It's a sad day for Zimbabwe," said rights lawyer Paida Saurombe. "To have the very constitution ... mutilated in one go and against the very spirit of the constitution is extremely sad," he said.
"The foundation of the nation is under attack by those who should protect it."
Mnangagwa has presided over a collapsing economy that has suffered hyperinflation and unemployment, undermined by alleged corruption and cronyism.
A journalist who interviewed an independence-war veteran demanding Mnangagwa step down was arrested in February last year and held in jail for more than 70 days, accused of inciting public violence.