{"id":2024,"date":"2026-06-26T02:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/26\/constitutional-coup-claims-as-zimbabwe-senate-approves-extending-presidential-term\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T02:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:45:00","slug":"constitutional-coup-claims-as-zimbabwe-senate-approves-extending-presidential-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2024","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Constitutional coup\u2019 claims as Zimbabwe senate approves extending presidential term"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"55ae3736-07fb-47c7-8608-5f21495d300a\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Emmerson Mnangagwa wearing a black suit and a colourful striped scarf at a meeting\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ef3345b4ffa9ae8c94cede38ec1dc36add7abde5\/1940_578_3560_2945\/master\/3560.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"384.6699438202247\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in office in elections in 2023.<\/span> Photograph: Monicah Mwangi\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"55ae3736-07fb-47c7-8608-5f21495d300a\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in office in elections in 2023.<\/span> Photograph: Monicah Mwangi\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">\u2018Constitutional coup\u2019 claims as Zimbabwe senate approves extending presidential term<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Opposition figures fear changes will further tighten 83-year-old president Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s hold on power<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Zimbabwe is on the brink of amending its constitution to give the president more time in office, a change that the government says will bring stability but that opponents have labelled a \u201cconstitutional coup\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The upper house of Zimbabwe\u2019s parliament voted on Wednesday 75-4 in favour of the constitutional amendments, which will allow President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/emmerson-mnangagwa\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Emmerson Mnangagwa<\/a> to stay in office until 2030 by extending presidential terms from five to seven years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The bill, which will also replace direct presidential elections with the appointment of the president by parliament, was passed by the lower house last week and the government said the president was expected to sign it into law next month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Opposition figures fear the changes could further tighten the hold on power of Mnangagwa, known as \u201cthe Crocodile\u201d, and his Zanu-PF party, which has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mnangagwa, now 83, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2023\/aug\/27\/emmerson-mnangagwa-wins-second-term-as-president-of-zimbabwe\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">won a second term<\/a> in office with 52.6% of the vote in the 2023 presidential election, amid criticism of the election process from international observers and opposition figures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Critics of the constitutional changes claimed Zimbabwe could slide back to the repression seen under Robert Mugabe, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/nov\/21\/robert-mugabe-resigns-as-president-of-zimbabwe\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">resigned in 2017<\/a> after 37 years in power, after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/dec\/01\/zimbabwe-military-officials-given-key-jobs-post-mugabe-cabinet-emmerson-mnangagwa\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">coup led by Mnangagwa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Makomborero Haruzivishe, a spokesperson for the Constitutional Defenders Forum (CDF), a group campaigning against the amendments, said: \u201cIt is a calculated constitutional coup against the people of Zimbabwe. It strips citizens of the fundamental right to directly elect their president, replacing popular sovereignty with parliamentary selection by a captured legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Nick Mangwana, the permanent secretary in Zimbabwe\u2019s information ministry, said: \u201cTo characterise this legitimate legislative exercise as a \u2018coup\u2019 is not only factually incorrect but deeply disrespectful to the sovereign parliamentary processes of the Republic of Zimbabwe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He said: \u201cThe primary objective is to enhance political stability and ensure policy continuity \u2026 We are not removing presidential term limits, we are simply adjusting the electoral cycle to reduce the frequency of highly contested, polarising elections.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mangwana rejected suggestions that constitutional amendments had to be approved in a referendum, saying the attorney general had found no legal basis for requiring a people\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f02f808c-f72f-42dc-b891-4f7e6c24534f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Mugabe addresses party members and supporters in 2017 dressed in a bright yellow jacket and hat\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/74f3942227dd510f19427819f98f770da2b3a20b\/0_0_4672_3115\/master\/4672.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.6984160958904\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"f02f808c-f72f-42dc-b891-4f7e6c24534f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Robert Mugabe addresses party members and supporters gathered at his party headquarters in 2017. <\/span> Photograph: Jekesai Njikizana\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Opponents of the constitutional amendments said they had been subjected to harassment and prevented from campaigning. Tendai Biti, one of the CDF\u2019s convenors, said security forces had barged into his office six times since October 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Responding to a claim that Biti\u2019s driver had been assaulted in one such incident in March, police <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PoliceZimbabwe\/status\/2029595452341968904\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> officers had been sent to Biti\u2019s office \u201cfor the maintenance of law and order\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Also in March, Lovemore Madhuku, a lawyer who had filed a constitutional court challenge to the amendment bill, said he was beaten by a group of balaclava-wearing men who then drove off in unmarked vehicles followed by two police vehicles. Local media <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PoliceZimbabwe\/status\/2029595452341968904\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">published<\/a> photos of Madhuku with large welts across his upper back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Zimbabwe\u2019s police force <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PoliceZimbabwe\/status\/2028167700984316205\/photo\/1\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> in a statement: \u201cThe police were not involved in the alleged incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mangwana said: \u201cIf any individual \u2013 whether Professor Madhuku, Mr Biti, or anyone else \u2013 possesses credible evidence of assault or harassment by state agents, my office urges them to formally lodge a complaint with the [police] or the relevant judicial authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mangwana said a consultation process had received 537,000 submissions, with an \u201coverwhelming majority supporting the constitutional changes\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Jameson Timba, a minister during Zimbabwe\u2019s government of national unity from 2009 to 2013, said he and his allies had been prevented from speaking during the public consultation events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Timba said: \u201cWe are just the tip of the iceberg. In almost every district that [the government] went to, people were being denied an opportunity to speak \u2026 Those public hearings are not a representation of anything. They are a fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Zimbabwe became internationally isolated during the 2000s after Mugabe\u2019s government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/apr\/11\/zimbabwe-starts-compensating-white-farmers-25-years-after-land-seizures\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">confiscated more than 4,000 farms<\/a> from mostly white farmers. Economic output plunged, resulting in hyperinflation in 2008, after which Mugabe was pressed into a coalition government with the opposition at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Many Zimbabweans view Mnangagwa\u2019s rule as a continuation of Mugabe\u2019s. In 2024, the US <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy2154\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">imposed sanctions<\/a> on Mnangagwa, his wife, Auxillia, and nine other people, accusing them of corruption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/zimbabwe\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Zimbabwe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/emmerson-mnangagwa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Emmerson Mnangagwa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Constitutional%20coup%E2%80%99%20claims%20as%20Zimbabwe%20senate%20approves%20extending%20presidential%20term&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jun\/25\/constitutional-coup-zimbabwe-senate-approves-presidential-term?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fjun%2F25%2Fconstitutional-coup-zimbabwe-senate-approves-presidential-term&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/jun\/25\/constitutional-coup-zimbabwe-senate-approves-presidential-term\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in office in elections in 2023. Photograph: Monicah Mwangi\/Reuters View image in fullscreen Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in office in elections in &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2024\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}