Zimbabwe's parliament passes final constitutional amendment to extend president's term to 7 years

Zimbabwe's parliament, during a special session on Tuesday, passed a final amendment to the country's Constitution, extending the presidential term from five to seven years and eliminating the requirement for a vice president to take the oath of office when the president's office becomes vacant.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa called a special session of Zimbabwe's 10th National Assembly. The bill will now be sent to Mnangagwa for assent.

Another provision in the amendments, moved by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, is that the election of the president will now be conducted in parliament by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The motion for both provisions was put to a vote, with 226 lawmakers voting in favor of the amendments and 41 against, surpassing the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution. The results were announced by Parliament Speaker Jacob Mudenda.

Earlier last week, the amendment was also approved by the upper house, where 75 senators backed the legislation and four voted against it.

Ziyambi told reporters after the vote that once Mnangagwa assents to the bill, it will be gazetted and become part of the Constitution.

"The timing depends on how quickly the bill is transmitted. The president normally assents to bills promptly upon receipt," Ziyambi said.

With the law in place, Mnangagwa, 83, will now stay in office until 2030, two years later than he was originally due to leave in 2028 after serving two full five-year terms.

Mnangagwa has ruled the southern African nation since 2017, when a coup removed longtime ruler Robert Mugabe, to whom he was vice president and a loyal lieutenant.