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Mwonzora slams Mnangagwa third term bid,
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MDC leader Douglas Mwonzora has issued a stern warning against attempts to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tenure beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms, saying the move would drain an estimated US$40 million from the national fiscus through costly referendums.
Mwonzora was speaking Thursday on the sidelines of Workers Day commemorations organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), where he dismissed the ongoing push by sections of the ruling Zanu-PF party to amend the Constitution to allow Mnangagwa a third term.
"We are totally opposed to the issue of the third term," said Mwonzora. "We must stick to the Constitution, which says the President must serve for a maximum of 10 years. President Mnangagwa must be even more grateful for the fact that he has been in Cabinet since 1980."
He added that Mnangagwa will effectively have served 11 years as Head of State by 2028, having completed the remainder of the late President Robert Mugabe's term following the 2017 military-assisted transition.
Mwonzora argued that pursuing a constitutional amendment would entail two national referendums, each costing around US$20 million, an expense he says the nation can ill afford in its current economic state.
"There's no need for that. That's US$40 million we can use for hospitals, roads, and public service delivery," he said.
While President Mnangagwa has publicly insisted he will step down in 2028 in line with the Constitution, loyalists within Zanu-PF continue to lobby for his stay in power, raising speculation about an impending push to amend the supreme law.
A rival faction led by war veteran Blessed Geza has opposed the idea, throwing its weight behind Vice President Constantino Chiwenga as the preferred successor. Geza recently called for mass demonstrations and an indefinite stay-away, but the protests flopped due to poor turnout amid widespread poverty and informal employment that makes prolonged strikes untenable.
Mwonzora, however, dismissed any possibility of backing Geza's protest initiative, arguing that such action would simply amount to taking sides in Zanu-PF's internal succession battles.
"That is not for us to say, because we are wise enough to know that if we are to change the president of Zanu-PF today, he will be replaced by another president of Zanu-PF. So there will not be any change of government, which is what we want as the opposition," he said.
He maintained that the MDC's focus is on democratic change of government through elections, not factional fights within the ruling party.
"But where we agree with him and other people is that there should not be a third term," Mwonzora added. "On the issue of whether they want to change their president, it's up to them as Zanu-PF."
The third term debate continues to divide Zanu-PF as the country edges closer to the 2028 election season, with the nation watching to see whether the ruling party will test the strength of the Constitution or abide by its tenets.
Mwonzora was speaking Thursday on the sidelines of Workers Day commemorations organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), where he dismissed the ongoing push by sections of the ruling Zanu-PF party to amend the Constitution to allow Mnangagwa a third term.
"We are totally opposed to the issue of the third term," said Mwonzora. "We must stick to the Constitution, which says the President must serve for a maximum of 10 years. President Mnangagwa must be even more grateful for the fact that he has been in Cabinet since 1980."
He added that Mnangagwa will effectively have served 11 years as Head of State by 2028, having completed the remainder of the late President Robert Mugabe's term following the 2017 military-assisted transition.
Mwonzora argued that pursuing a constitutional amendment would entail two national referendums, each costing around US$20 million, an expense he says the nation can ill afford in its current economic state.
"There's no need for that. That's US$40 million we can use for hospitals, roads, and public service delivery," he said.
While President Mnangagwa has publicly insisted he will step down in 2028 in line with the Constitution, loyalists within Zanu-PF continue to lobby for his stay in power, raising speculation about an impending push to amend the supreme law.
A rival faction led by war veteran Blessed Geza has opposed the idea, throwing its weight behind Vice President Constantino Chiwenga as the preferred successor. Geza recently called for mass demonstrations and an indefinite stay-away, but the protests flopped due to poor turnout amid widespread poverty and informal employment that makes prolonged strikes untenable.
Mwonzora, however, dismissed any possibility of backing Geza's protest initiative, arguing that such action would simply amount to taking sides in Zanu-PF's internal succession battles.
"That is not for us to say, because we are wise enough to know that if we are to change the president of Zanu-PF today, he will be replaced by another president of Zanu-PF. So there will not be any change of government, which is what we want as the opposition," he said.
He maintained that the MDC's focus is on democratic change of government through elections, not factional fights within the ruling party.
"But where we agree with him and other people is that there should not be a third term," Mwonzora added. "On the issue of whether they want to change their president, it's up to them as Zanu-PF."
The third term debate continues to divide Zanu-PF as the country edges closer to the 2028 election season, with the nation watching to see whether the ruling party will test the strength of the Constitution or abide by its tenets.
Source - NewZimbabwe
