Zimbabwe Constitution Limits Presidential Terms.
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Calls have grown in Zimbabwe to change the constitution and let President Emmerson Mnangagwa serve more than two terms. Mnangagwa has said he does not want to stay in power longer.
The 2013 Zimbabwe Constitution only allows presidents to serve for two terms. Mnangagwa's second term ends in 2028, and he cannot run again without changing the constitution.
To extend term limits, Parliament must take these steps:
1. Publish the exact changes 90 days before any vote.
2. Hold public hearings to get people's views.
3. Pass the changes with a two-thirds majority in both houses.
Even with these steps, the changes would not apply to Mnangagwa. The constitution blocks sitting presidents from changing term limits to stay in office longer.
To get around this, two parts of the Constitution need to change:
1. Section 91, which sets the two-term limit.
2. Section 328(7), which stops term limit changes from applying to the current president.
Changing section 328(7) involves an extra step: Voters must approve it in a national referendum within three months of Parliament passing it.
The late legal expert Alex Magaisa said Zimbabwe's constitution makes it hard for sitting presidents to extend their time in office. The process involves many steps and approvals.
Mnangagwa has not said he wants a third term, but the recent public debate has spotlighted Zimbabwe's constitutional term limits.
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Calls have grown in Zimbabwe to change the constitution and let President Emmerson Mnangagwa serve more than two terms. Mnangagwa has said he does not want to stay in power longer.
The 2013 Zimbabwe Constitution only allows presidents to serve for two terms. Mnangagwa's second term ends in 2028, and he cannot run again without changing the constitution.
To extend term limits, Parliament must take these steps:
1. Publish the exact changes 90 days before any vote.
2. Hold public hearings to get people's views.
3. Pass the changes with a two-thirds majority in both houses.
Even with these steps, the changes would not apply to Mnangagwa. The constitution blocks sitting presidents from changing term limits to stay in office longer.
To get around this, two parts of the Constitution need to change:
1. Section 91, which sets the two-term limit.
2. Section 328(7), which stops term limit changes from applying to the current president.
Changing section 328(7) involves an extra step: Voters must approve it in a national referendum within three months of Parliament passing it.
The late legal expert Alex Magaisa said Zimbabwe's constitution makes it hard for sitting presidents to extend their time in office. The process involves many steps and approvals.
Mnangagwa has not said he wants a third term, but the recent public debate has spotlighted Zimbabwe's constitutional term limits.
