No Mr. Chamisa – ED2030 is not a side – show: It is the paramount 2026 political issue

Nelson Chamisa, the former leader of CCC announced at a press conference on 20 January 2026 his return to active national politics, after a two years break. 

The return of Chamisa is a significant event. Chamisa has been the pre-eminent figure of the liberal opposition post-2018 with the demise of Morgan Tsvangirai, the towering trade unionist founding leader of MDC.

Chamisa’s popular base is undoubted. Inheriting the legacy of the working-class founded MDC, Chamisa garnered over 2 million votes in the 2023 presidential elections, far surpassing other opposition figures. And a likely winner if the elections had been free.

So his return to open political engagement is undoubtedly an important and significant event. In particular his call for a cross – party convergence of democratic and oppositional forces.

Serious strategic and ideological deficits

However, there are serious strategic and political deficits in his announced 2026 Agenda.

Most glaring was the non-mention of the ED2030 agenda to cancel the 2028 elections and extend Mnangagwa’s term to 2030 by parliamentary vote rather than a national referendum. It is founded on Zanu PF 2025 National Conference Resolution No. 1.

But the matter has now gone well beyond a party resolution. Attorney General V. Mabiza and Justice Minister Ziyambi have confirmed that the draft 2030 Bill now awaits discussion and adoption by Cabinet early February when Mnangagwa returns from leave.

Only in question time did Chamisa address the matter. He dismissed it as an irrelevant side – show, Zanu PF succession factional fights. That there was no constitution to defend.

The rushed presser was clearly a rebuttal and do-down of the united constitutional movement launched two days earlier on 17 January 2026, Defend the Constitution Platform, DCP.

The DCP is comprised of representatives from genuine opposition parties and organisations, labour, socialists, youths, liberation veterans, civic and residents groups, women, faith-based organisations and persons with disabilities. A broad-based movement.

Ironically the interim DCP leadership includes several former CCC leaders and MPs aligned to Chamisa such as Jameson Timba, Agency Gumbo and Prince Dubeko Sibanda.

Indeed, the DCP Convener is Timba, who is the head of the former CCC parliamentary caucus aligned to Chamisa. The likely reason why Timba and other CCC supporters were brutalised and imprisoned by the ED regime ahead of the SADC Summit in 2024.

Other announced DCP leaders include fearless opposition leaders who have been brutalised and imprisoned by the regime including Job Sikhala, Jacob Ngarivhume and militant labour leader, ARTUZ President Obert Masaraure.

ED2030 issue paramount and essential for democratic convergence

The ED2030 issue is no doubt the defining political issue for 2026. For the liberals and working classes.

For the liberals it is the potential primary lever around which any serious re-convergence can emerge. Post-Tsvangirai, liberal elites have torn each other in brutal power struggles. Leading to the implosion of MDC – A and CCC. And regime co-option of many opposition leaders.

A key contributing problem was Chamisa’s attempt to centralise power around a personality cult, marginalising the old guard and supported by hero-worshipping young greenhorns.

The anti-ED2030 agenda offers the liberals an opportunity of re-convergence and renewal. Convergence is easier because it allows unity around a cross-cutting idea and issue – defence of constitutionalism. Rather than an election, with jostling for positions.

An effective re-convergence can only be built on a movement based on democratic inclusiveness, internal democracy and firmer ideological and strategic groundings. Not a Messiah figure.

Ideologically, a firm position against Mthuli’s austerity and neoliberalism proramme including privatisation on steroids now being done by zvigananda in order to facilitate looting.

This has left massive and growing poverty of the masses. Workers, youths, villagers. Over 53% of the population living in absolute poverty. Zimbabwe, the 8th most unequal country in the world.

In the midst of historic foreign currency earnings in excess of US$16 billion from the gold bonanza of the last two years. Eaten by zvigananda and ED regime cronies.

To take on this regime, to stop the ED2030 nonsense and to win electoral reforms before the 2028 elections will require a united front mobilising the masses on the streets, workplaces, campuses etc.

The masses will not move if their bread and butter issues are not placed central in any new democratic movement.

Streets are the main theatre of struggle

A key deficient point of strategy in Chamisa’s Agenda 2026 is shying away from building a movement to take on the regime head on in the streets. Instead Chamisa continues to place naive illusions in regional and international bodies like SADC, AU and the UN.

This is consistent with Chamisa’s previous well-known hostility and fear of mobilising mass action. In August 2018 he denounced as “stupid”  his supporters who had demonstrated against the stolen elections and many shot and killed.

After the fraudulent 2023 elections he failed to call for mass action as a counter instead relying on appeals to SADC. In 2025 he dissociated from the Geza demonstrations.

Equally he was one of the lawyers for the regime linked Zuva Petroleum Ltd company, whose case led to the job geocide of thousands of jobs.

Yet the reality is that to move forward the streets, workplaces and campuses, mass action are going to be the principal theatres of struggle led by workers and youths.

ED2030 issue key for a democratic united front

The ED2030 matter is the critical political economy issue that can bring together the masses and liberals in a united front for democracy. Together with anti-austerity and anti-corruption demands.

Chamisa has failed to grasp that we are no longer dealing with a Zanu PF resolution. But a frontal attack on the very foundations of the 2013 Constitution. Beyond the previous incremental attacks.

ED2030 is a qualitative, existential attack on the democratic foundations of the 2013 constitution. To annihilate the essence of popular sovereignty on which the Constitution is founded.

Including defined, regular, free and fair elections and iron – clad  term limits  for the most important public offices, in particular that of the President. The requirement that any changes to these require the final approval of the people in a referendum.

You don’t abandon the Constitution that still has many rights for workers, women, villagers and democratic provisions because it is under attack by tyrants – instead you defend it and fight to have the rights in it implemented.

Including electoral reforms aligned to the Constitution before the 2028 elections. Just like how in the US, workers, civic societies are fighting Trump’s efforts to demolish the US Constitution, aided by a compromised Supreme Court. Thus the powerful “No Kings” marches.

ED2030 is pivotal because it is a cross-cutting issue that can attract a united front of classes in defence of democracy.

Including sections of the ruling class and middle classes across party divide repelled by the brazen attack on the Constitution. Unprecedented corruption.

For the working class and poor, an opportunity to re-boot the class struggle against austerity, poverty and repression by the regime.

Thus, the support of the anti-ED2030 struggles by the working class including leading sections of ZCTU, ZLC Labour Forum, Vashandi-Zisebenzi, socialists and radical youths and students led by ZINASU is proper.

The above constitutes the essential ingredients for a successful constitutional movement as in 1998-2000 with the NCA which defeated Mugabe in the February 2000 Referendum.

A movement that can intersect with factions of the regime opposed to ED2030 and zvigananda pillage of the state. But doing so on an autonomous and temporary basis, so as to avoid the debacle of November 2017.

This is the fear that ED has, therefore his very carefully calibrated and delicate approach. Until he is sure of victory, he won’t rush gazetting the 2030 Bill.

Chamisa’s outright ignoring of the ED2030 issue in his Agenda 2026 is therefore puzzling. In fact striking because at his December 2025 Charity Dinner he had denounced Zanu PF Resolution No. 1 and called his supporters to oppose it. What has now changed?

However, despite Chamisa’s puzzling position, many of his supporters and leaders are likely to be drawn to support a well organised, transparent and inclusive anti-ED2030 campaign. Likely forcing Chamisa to eventually relent and join others or suffer growing irrelevance.

So the task now for the working classes and all democrats is to forge ahead in the struggle for democracy and against tyranny, austerity and poverty.

Struggles that are unfolding across the world as workers, youths, villagers and middle classes begin to revolt against austerity, the drive to dictatorship, destruction of the environment and world war by the billionaire class fronted by US President, Donald Trump.

The launch of the Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP) is a welcome development as part of these emerging struggles.

Vana vembwa hava svinuri musi umwe… Imidlwane ayiphothuli suku lunye

No to ED2030! No to Austerity!

Munya Gwisai

First published in Socialist Worker, 25 January 2026.

[Munya Gwisai is an executive committee member, ISO, and a member of the National Working Committee of the DCP – views expressed are his personal views.]