By Advent Shoko
Zimbabwe’s presidential spokesperson George Charamba says the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2026, adopted by Cabinet on Tuesday, will put an end to what he describes as time-wasting presidential bids by individuals with no real political backing.
The proposed changes, which still have to go through Parliament, include extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to at least 2030. The Bill also proposes a major shift in how the President would be chosen, transferring the power from a direct national vote to Parliament.
The move has already sparked criticism from civic groups, opposition parties and sections of the public, who argue that it weakens democratic rights and erodes citizens’ direct say in choosing a Head of State.
But Charamba sees it differently.
In a strongly worded defence of the amendment, he said the changes are designed to reduce political tensions that often arise during presidential elections. Charamba said:
“HAS ANYONE POSED TO REFLECT: that our electoral politics generate polarizing DISPUTES at the level of electing a President? Not just in Zimbabwe, but also in the Region, most notably in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. The proposed amendment now means that level no longer is a flashpoint of our electoral politics, to the extent the President may be voted by Parliament, and to the extent the fate of the nation now gets decided at a more dispersed level to do with contestation at parliamentary seat level. Also we will not have persons who waste the Nation’s time by declaring themselves presidential candidates when they have nil following, party machinery or parliamentary representation.”
His remarks appear to take aim at the long list of presidential hopefuls that characterised Zimbabwe’s 2018 and 2023 elections.
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2018 was historic. It was the first election in nearly four decades without founding leader Robert Mugabe on the ballot. A total of 23 candidates, 19 men and four women, contested the presidency.
While the race was largely dominated by Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, the ballot paper was crowded. Among other notable candidates were former Vice-President Joice Mujuru of the People’s Rainbow Coalition and former Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, then leading a faction of the MDC. Dzapasi Melbah of #1980 Freedom Movement Zimbabwe and Violet Mariyacha of the United Democratic Movement were also in the race.
By the 2023 elections, the number of presidential candidates had dropped to 11. Analysts largely attributed the decline to the steep nomination fee of US$20,000 introduced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The amount acted as a barrier to many who previously entered the race, sometimes more for visibility than viability.
Under the proposed amendment, the dynamics would change even more fundamentally. If Parliament elects the President, only candidates with meaningful parliamentary representation would realistically stand a chance. In practical terms, aspiring candidates without Members of Parliament to support them would be locked out of the highest office.
Supporters of the amendment argue this would streamline the political process and reduce post-election disputes. Critics, however, insist it shifts power away from ordinary citizens and concentrates it within political elites.
ZANU PF has historically maintained a parliamentary majority since independence in 1980, except in 2008 when the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) secured a combined majority in the House of Assembly, the first time ZANU PF lost control of Parliament.
In the 210-member House of Assembly, the distribution of seats was as follows:
- MDC-T (Tsvangirai faction) won 100 seats,
- MDC-M (Mutambara faction) secured 10,
- ZANU PF obtained 97,
- One seat went to an independent candidate, and
- Three seats were left vacant due to the deaths of candidates before the election.
In the 2023 elections, the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), led by Nelson Chamisa, initially managed to prevent ZANU PF from securing a commanding two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, the balance shifted after Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be the CCC interim Secretary-General, recalled several CCC Members of Parliament. The recalls triggered by-elections, all of which were subsequently won by ZANU PF, enabling the ruling party to consolidate its parliamentary majority.
This historical pattern has led some analysts to argue that if the President were to be elected by Parliament rather than through a popular vote, the leader chosen by ZANU PF would almost certainly become the national President, given the party’s consistent strength in the legislature.
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