In a move that has sent shockwaves across the southern African nation, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed into law a controversial constitutional amendment that extends his time in office by two years and fundamentally changes how the country chooses its leaders.
The 83-year-old leader, who was supposed to step down in 2028 after completing his second and final term, will now remain in power until 2030.
The new legislation, known as Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 or CAB3, was passed by Parliament in June and officially gazetted as Act No. 6 of 2026 on Tuesday. The National Assembly voted 226 to 41 to approve the changes, while the Senate passed it 75 votes to four.
But here is the thing that has really got people talking Zimbabweans will no longer vote directly for their president. Instead, members of Parliament sitting jointly as the National Assembly and Senate will now elect the head of state.
This scrapping of direct presidential elections, which had been in place since 1987, marks one of the most significant shifts in the country's governance since the adoption of the 2013 Constitution.
The new law also extends the terms of office for both the President and Members of Parliament from five years to seven years. This means the elections that were scheduled for 2028 have been postponed by two years.
In a situation where the presidency becomes vacant, a Vice-President will step in as Acting President, and Parliament must elect a substantive President within 30 days.
But that is not all. The amendments have expanded the Senate from 80 to 90 members, giving the President power to appoint ten additional senators based on their professional skills and competencies.
Critics argue this further tilts the upper chamber in favour of the executive. Voter registration responsibilities have also been shifted from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General's Office, and public interviews for judicial appointments have been scrapped altogether.
Not everyone is happy about these changes. Opposition parties, civil society groups, human rights lawyers, and even some liberation war veterans have condemned the amendments, describing them as a "constitutional coup" and the "death of democracy".
Prominent lawyer Thabani Mpofu called it "the most calculated and deliberate attack on our liberties". Tendai Biti, leader of the Constitution Defenders Forum, said the amendments "shift power and control to the few rag tag bandits" and have effectively "commodified democracy".
The government, however, has defended the changes, arguing that longer terms will promote policy continuity and provide a stable environment for national development programmes.
Supporters of the amendments also contend that Parliament had the authority to pass the changes because the constitutional two-term limit remains unchanged, even though each term is now longer.
Critics argue that such fundamental changes should have been put to a national referendum. Several opposition parties have already indicated they will challenge the legislation in the Constitutional Court.
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