Zanu PF says 2028 election could have been 'ambushed'

ZANU PF says Zimbabwe could have been "ambushed" by forces opposed to the ruling party during the 2028 elections had the Government not pushed through Constitutional Amendment Act Number 3, which extended President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tenure to 2030.

ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa made the remarks while addressing journalists at the party's headquarters on Thursday, defending the controversial constitutional changes as necessary to protect the country's political stability.

The amendment, which was signed into law by Mnangagwa earlier this year, extended his tenure to 2030 and introduced other significant changes to Zimbabwe's electoral and governance framework.

Mutsvangwa said the ruling party had assessed the risks associated with the 2028 electoral cycle and concluded that Zimbabwe could have been vulnerable to pressure from its political opponents and what he described as "detractors" of the liberation movement.

"The questions which arise at that crucial handover stage are such that the country will be very strong to withstand any stresses. Basically, a lot of preparation may have been put in by detractors and those who are sworn enemies of the liberation movement to ambush 2028," Mutsvangwa said.

"There was a possibility that the country may not even be well prepared to withstand this pressure, and it is this assessment by ZANU PF which made us start looking at our constitution."

The constitutional amendment had reportedly faced resistance from a faction within ZANU PF aligned to Deputy President Constantino Chiwenga before eventually passing through the required legal and parliamentary processes.

The changes have been widely interpreted by political observers as curtailing Chiwenga's reported ambitions to succeed Mnangagwa at the 2028 elections.

The postponement of the presidential contest has also intensified factional tensions within ZANU PF, with rival camps emerging around supporters of Chiwenga and those backing Mnangagwa's continued leadership.

Mutsvangwa, however, said politicians with presidential ambitions should wait until Mnangagwa's extended term comes to an end.

"The detractors will have nothing to shout about. We are now very confident of the certainty of leadership; we are also confident of the stability of the political system, and we are very assured of the sustenance of the economic miracle," he said.

He said the party's Politburo meeting had expressed strong support for Mnangagwa and his continued leadership.

"At our meeting yesterday in the Politburo, there was unanimous expression of gratitude and gladness about the President. There may be ambition, and rightfully so in politics—that is why everybody is a politician; ambition is right—but there is a time when ambition has to curve in to the realities of what people want," Mutsvangwa said.

The Constitutional Amendment Act Number 3 has become one of the most consequential political developments under Mnangagwa's administration, fundamentally altering the timetable for the next presidential succession contest.

Supporters of the amendment argue that extending Mnangagwa's tenure provides political continuity and stability, while critics contend that it undermines the constitutional principle of regular elections and was designed primarily to prevent a leadership contest within ZANU PF in 2028.

Mutsvangwa's latest remarks are likely to add further fuel to the debate, particularly his assertion that the amendment was driven by concerns that Zimbabwe could otherwise have faced an organised political challenge at the next scheduled election.

For now, ZANU PF maintains that the constitutional changes have provided greater certainty over the country's leadership and given the Government additional time to consolidate its political and economic programmes ahead of 2030.