Bill passed to extend Mnangagwa’s rule

The controversial Zimbabwe Constitutional Amendment Bill meant to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule by two years was passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority vote yesterday, reports News24. Announcing the results after an open ballot vote in the House of Assembly by MPs, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda said the Bill has sailed through and now will be forwarded to Senate. ‘Now the confirmed result is that 216 honourable members have voted in favour and 42 have voted against the Bill. I therefore declare the constitutional amendment number three of 2026 to have been passed in Parliament,’ he said. Soon after the results were announced, opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) MP Charlton Hwende said if it wasn’t for some opposition MPs who voted in support, the Bill would not have been passed. ‘Zanu-PF was short with seven votes to reach two thirds but were helped by 35 CCC members (of Parliament) who voted with Zanu-PF.” A coalition of civil society organisations, the Zimbabwe Constitutional Movement, said ‘it remains deeply concerned that this amendment is driven not by the national interest but by the interests of a political elite determined to entrench its hold on power. Zimbabwe’s Constitution was adopted to limit arbitrary authority, strengthen accountability, and protect citizens from the excesses of unchecked power,’ it said. The Bill will now be presented to Senate and, if passed, will be signed into law by Zanu-PF leader Mnangagwa, extending his rule by two years. His second term as the country’s President was supposed to end in 2028.