8 years after vowing to respect term limits, Mnangagwa signs law extending his rule

Eight years after pledging to leave office after serving the constitutionally prescribed maximum of 10 years, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has assented to the controversial Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026, which extends the presidential term of office from five to seven years and changes the country’s electoral framework.

Mnangagwa made the pledge during an interview with CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour in September 2018, shortly after winning the presidential election.

“Even if the people love me, I will still go away because I believe constitutionalism is important. In fact, we must give people the chance to have other leaders. Ten years is not a short period.

“In my view, it’s quite a long period; and if you have a vision, a period long enough to implement your vision,” he said at the time.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act has now been gazetted after receiving presidential assent, completing the legislative process following its approval by Parliament with the required two-thirds majority.

According to the Act, the amendments are intended to promote “stability and continuity of policies and legislative frameworks within a predictable governance environment,” arguing that such continuity allows national development programmes to be implemented to completion.

Among its key provisions, the law extends the terms of office for the President, Members of Parliament and local authorities from five years to seven years.

It also provides for the President to be elected by Parliament rather than through a direct popular vote, expands the Senate from 80 to 90 members through additional presidential appointments, transfers voter registration from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to the Registrar-General, establishes a Delimitation Commission appointed by the President, removes public interviews for judicial appointments and revises presidential succession procedures.

The enactment represents one of the most significant changes to Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution and is expected to fuel renewed political, legal and constitutional debate over its implications for governance, democratic accountability and the country’s electoral system.

The new law also contrasts with Mnangagwa’s 2018 public commitment that he would respect constitutional limits on his tenure, saying a 10-year period was sufficient for a president to implement a vision before handing over to a successor.