PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has reaffirmed that he will leave office upon the end of his second and final presidential term despite a heightened campaign for him to cling to power.
The 81-year-old Zanu PF leader's final term is due to end in 2028. Still, there are pockets of his supporters calling for an extension of his stay beyond 2030 ostensibly to fulfil aspirations of his Vision 2030 blueprint spelling out the trajectory for Zimbabwe to attain upper middle-income society status.
Responding to questions from the Zimbabwean community in Beijing, China, where he is currently on a State visit, Mnangagwa reiterated his stance that he will abide by the constitution and retire when his term expires in 2028.
"I have said it before that l am a constitutionalist, meaning l follow the Constitution of Zimbabwe to the letter and spirit. Also, l am one of its authors.
"So, those whom you gossip with saying maybe l will extend my years in office, no l will not do that," said Mnangagwa.
"I have my mandate given to me by the people and someone else will come after me and run their race...have you heard me? So, this question of the third term does not arise, especially under my watch, no!
"I am already in my second term and already know even the date that l will leave office in 2028 and go home...if there are others misleading you then go and tell them it's not what our father (himself) is thinking."
Zanu PF political structures across various provinces are currently pushing the "2030 Mnangagwa Will Still Be In Power" agenda although the former guerilla liberation war fighter continues to dissociate himself from those pushing the narrative.
Political observers opine that the octogenarian leader is testing the waters on the feasibility of running for a third term, which is a prospect allegedly facing resistance from two factions, one led by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and another by Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa.
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In the event Mnangagwa finally decides to run for a third presidential term, he has to navigate a treacherous constitutional landmine.
Section 95 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe declares that the President's term of office runs for five years. Coupled with this, Section 91 states that a person is disqualified from election as President if he or she has already held the office for two terms, whether continuous or not.
Mnangagwa has already served a year into his second term. By all accounts, including his own words, this is his final term in office.
According to Section 328, to effectively extend presidential term limits, two separate Constitutional Bills must be passed by each house of Parliament and voted for by a public majority in a referendum.
Subsection (7) of Section 328 prohibits Mnangagwa from benefitting from any tweaking of the country's supreme law, which states: "Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an amendment to a term-limit provision, the effect of which is to extend the length of time that a person may hold or occupy any public office, does not apply in relation to any person who held or occupied that office, or an equivalent office, at any time before the amendment." But, as with anything in the Constitution, this clause can be amended.
Among other modalities, there must be public consultations before a Constitutional Bill goes to Parliament, which must be gazetted for 90 days.
Also, that Zanu PF commands two-thirds majority in Parliament does not make it automatic that both Upper and Lower Houses in their entirety will vote for changes to the Constitution.
