News / National
Mnangagwa to be Zimbabwe President until 21 August 2018
19 May 2017 at 07:27hrs | Views
COLOGNE - Vice President, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, is set to be in office as the second republic President of Zimbabwe, officially until 21 August 2018, should he takeover from President Robert Mugabe, between now and before then, a parliamentary and legal watchdog has hinted.
Spotlight Zimbabwe, was among the first online publications since last year, to report at length about Mnangagwa's pending shock presidency, which ruling Zanu PF top officials say is going to happen within the next 15 months, before the make or break July 2018 presidential and parliamentary polls.
According to the watchdog Veritas "Bill Watch" update, Zanu PF will be in power until 21 August next year even if Mugabe steps down from office. The development simply means that Mnangagwa, who is all but now certain to succeed Mugabe based on our intelligence gathering and briefings from government insiders, is poised to enjoy a brief stint as president, the shortest tenure in the country's history, as Mugabe is unlikely to finish off his full five year term, owing to a plethora of ills, ranging from health challenges to his old age.
Veritas provides information on the work of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Laws of Zimbabwe and makes public domain information widely available.
Mugabe was sworn into power on 22 August 2013, therefore his five-year term expires at midnight on 21 August 2018, Veritas argues.
"The five-year term would not be prematurely terminated if President Mugabe were to cease to be President before the end of the term," Veritas says. "In that event, there are two stages provided for by the Constitution:
"1. Acting President - the Vice-President who last acted as President takes over until his party [ZANU-PF] notifies the Speaker of Parliament who it has nominated as a successor [notification must be within 90 days]
"2. Substantive President - the nominee notified to the Speaker by ZANU-PF must assume office as President by taking the Presidential oath of office within the next 48 hours before the Chief Justice. The new President then holds office until the swearing-in of the person elected at the next general election in July or August 2018."
The watchdog said the earliest date for polling is 23 July 2018 while the last date is 21 August.
"Based on the earliest polling date of 23rd July 2018 the Proclamation must be gazetted in the period 30th April to 9th June 2018. Based on the latest polling date of 21st August 2018, the Proclamation must be gazetted in the period 30th May to 9th July 2018. So the earliest possible proclamation date is Monday 30th April 2018 for polling on Monday 23rd July. And the latest possible proclamation date is Monday 9th July 2018 for polling on Wednesday 21st August."
The disclosures are coming hard on the heels of former finance minister, and now People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Tendai Biti, making an observation this week that Mnangagwa is a stone's throw away from succeeding Mugabe. Biti wrote to an online magazine called The Gravitas, that the former State Intelligence chef at Independence in 1980, is in a good position of taking over from Mugabe after successfully projecting himself as a tough and capable politician.
"The one-self evident conclusion is that in the short-term, Zanu PF cannot be dislodged. That its control of the patronage economy and the new social base is absolute," Biti wrote. "That despite its fractures, the opposition, even in a grand coalition, cannot dislodge Zanu PF. That a post-Mugabe candidate must be found who is, first of all, strong but with an acceptable veneer of reform capacity. Inevitably, this self-serving proselytising leads to destination (Emmerson) Mnangagwa," Biti was quoted as saying in his contribution by a local daily.
Biti however urged the opposition to be in synergy to stop Mnangagwa from becoming the country's next president.
This publication has exclusively revealed that Mnangagwa's anticipated presidency is now unstoppable, as he has reportedly secured support from China, Britain, and Iran among other world players, and that Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, General Constantino Guveya Chiwenga, is set to become his vice president pick.
Chiwenga will thus become the first highest ranking military chief in the country's history, to assume the second most powerful office in the land, after his predecessor, the late General Vitalis Zvinavashe, came within a whisker of taking up the same office in 2004 following the death of VP Simon Muzenda, in a thrilling grand political plan that has been brewing since 2008, reportedly mooted and involving former Ethiopian leader, Mengistu Haile Mariam now exiled in Zimbabwe after receiving asylum in 1991, who is said to be the brainchild of the scheme, as a hired national security consultant of the military, our sources say.
Spotlight Zimbabwe, reported on 18 November 2016, that although Mugabe's administration has put up a brave face to endorse him as the ruling party's candidate for 2018, with top officials falling over each other to shower him with praise and calls for a life presidency, indications are that the ailing Zanu PF strongman is not going to stand for re-election, and that a "shock announcement" in this regard will be made at the appropriate time.
Mugabe has over the years endured a cocktail of health woes, including eye cataract problems, reported prostate cancer and paining swollen feet. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world.
It also come to light last year, that Mugabe had drastically reduced his daily working routine to 30-minute afternoon sessions. The revelation was made by a Japanese columnist, Ken Yamamoto, who is believed to have access to state secrets around Mugabe and his regime.
"Except when he has pressing meetings, Mugabe now works 30 minutes a day, often coming to his office around 3pm and leaving half an hour or so afterwards to go home and sleep," Yamamoto has been quoted by the media as saying.
We project that Mnangagwa is going to face-off with former prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai ,as the two main political candidates in the July 2018 elections, where Mnangagwa is likely to lose and handover presidential office to Tsvangirai, who increasingly looks set to become the country's third republic leader, when Mnangagwa's last day in office, 21 August 2018 expires.
Spotlight Zimbabwe, was among the first online publications since last year, to report at length about Mnangagwa's pending shock presidency, which ruling Zanu PF top officials say is going to happen within the next 15 months, before the make or break July 2018 presidential and parliamentary polls.
According to the watchdog Veritas "Bill Watch" update, Zanu PF will be in power until 21 August next year even if Mugabe steps down from office. The development simply means that Mnangagwa, who is all but now certain to succeed Mugabe based on our intelligence gathering and briefings from government insiders, is poised to enjoy a brief stint as president, the shortest tenure in the country's history, as Mugabe is unlikely to finish off his full five year term, owing to a plethora of ills, ranging from health challenges to his old age.
Veritas provides information on the work of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Laws of Zimbabwe and makes public domain information widely available.
Mugabe was sworn into power on 22 August 2013, therefore his five-year term expires at midnight on 21 August 2018, Veritas argues.
"The five-year term would not be prematurely terminated if President Mugabe were to cease to be President before the end of the term," Veritas says. "In that event, there are two stages provided for by the Constitution:
"1. Acting President - the Vice-President who last acted as President takes over until his party [ZANU-PF] notifies the Speaker of Parliament who it has nominated as a successor [notification must be within 90 days]
"2. Substantive President - the nominee notified to the Speaker by ZANU-PF must assume office as President by taking the Presidential oath of office within the next 48 hours before the Chief Justice. The new President then holds office until the swearing-in of the person elected at the next general election in July or August 2018."
The watchdog said the earliest date for polling is 23 July 2018 while the last date is 21 August.
"Based on the earliest polling date of 23rd July 2018 the Proclamation must be gazetted in the period 30th April to 9th June 2018. Based on the latest polling date of 21st August 2018, the Proclamation must be gazetted in the period 30th May to 9th July 2018. So the earliest possible proclamation date is Monday 30th April 2018 for polling on Monday 23rd July. And the latest possible proclamation date is Monday 9th July 2018 for polling on Wednesday 21st August."
"The one-self evident conclusion is that in the short-term, Zanu PF cannot be dislodged. That its control of the patronage economy and the new social base is absolute," Biti wrote. "That despite its fractures, the opposition, even in a grand coalition, cannot dislodge Zanu PF. That a post-Mugabe candidate must be found who is, first of all, strong but with an acceptable veneer of reform capacity. Inevitably, this self-serving proselytising leads to destination (Emmerson) Mnangagwa," Biti was quoted as saying in his contribution by a local daily.
Biti however urged the opposition to be in synergy to stop Mnangagwa from becoming the country's next president.
This publication has exclusively revealed that Mnangagwa's anticipated presidency is now unstoppable, as he has reportedly secured support from China, Britain, and Iran among other world players, and that Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, General Constantino Guveya Chiwenga, is set to become his vice president pick.
Chiwenga will thus become the first highest ranking military chief in the country's history, to assume the second most powerful office in the land, after his predecessor, the late General Vitalis Zvinavashe, came within a whisker of taking up the same office in 2004 following the death of VP Simon Muzenda, in a thrilling grand political plan that has been brewing since 2008, reportedly mooted and involving former Ethiopian leader, Mengistu Haile Mariam now exiled in Zimbabwe after receiving asylum in 1991, who is said to be the brainchild of the scheme, as a hired national security consultant of the military, our sources say.
Spotlight Zimbabwe, reported on 18 November 2016, that although Mugabe's administration has put up a brave face to endorse him as the ruling party's candidate for 2018, with top officials falling over each other to shower him with praise and calls for a life presidency, indications are that the ailing Zanu PF strongman is not going to stand for re-election, and that a "shock announcement" in this regard will be made at the appropriate time.
Mugabe has over the years endured a cocktail of health woes, including eye cataract problems, reported prostate cancer and paining swollen feet. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world.
It also come to light last year, that Mugabe had drastically reduced his daily working routine to 30-minute afternoon sessions. The revelation was made by a Japanese columnist, Ken Yamamoto, who is believed to have access to state secrets around Mugabe and his regime.
"Except when he has pressing meetings, Mugabe now works 30 minutes a day, often coming to his office around 3pm and leaving half an hour or so afterwards to go home and sleep," Yamamoto has been quoted by the media as saying.
We project that Mnangagwa is going to face-off with former prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai ,as the two main political candidates in the July 2018 elections, where Mnangagwa is likely to lose and handover presidential office to Tsvangirai, who increasingly looks set to become the country's third republic leader, when Mnangagwa's last day in office, 21 August 2018 expires.
Source - spotlight
