00:00In 2017, Zimbabwe witnessed a historic turning point. After 37 years in power,
00:05Robert Mugabe resigned at age 93, ending an era of authoritarian rule in the country.
00:17Soon after, Emerson Munangagwa took over as president,
00:20describing the moment as the beginning of a new unfolding democracy.
00:32But now, Zimbabwe's ruling party, the ZANU-PF, is pushing a constitutional amendment that could
00:38extend President Munangagwa's term and dramatically transform the country's electoral system.
00:44This begs the question, is Zimbabwe's democracy actually in worse shape than under Mugabe?
00:49But will Zimbabwe's extension bill lead to democratic backsliding? Welcome to the flip side.
00:55The Constitution Amendment Bill, drafted by the ruling ZANU-PF, proposes extending
01:01presidential, parliamentary, and general political terms from five to seven years.
01:06The President could also appoint the Prosecutor General without advice from the Judicial Service
01:11Commission. State control officers would take over the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's mandate
01:16of registering voters and drawing electoral boundaries.
01:19I'm supporting the bill because it brings a lot of improvement to development.
01:28When we go for elections, by the time we finish five years,
01:34three years would have gone with people still in election mode,
01:38and no development would have occurred.
01:42Civil society groups warn these changes weaken oversight, concentrate state power,
01:47and roll back hard-worn democratic reforms.
01:50Underlying this debate is the legacy of Zimbabwe's 2013 constitution.
01:55Approved by 93% of voters in a national referendum, it introduced major democratic safeguards,
02:01including two five-year presidential term limits, and independent commissions meant to prevent
02:07the kind of prolonged rule Mugabe once held.
02:10And that's why any attempt to loosen those safeguards is meeting fierce resistance.
02:15I have no guarantee whether the changes of this constitution or the extension
02:22or guarantee my safety as a citizen living in a village situation.
02:28While some Zimbabweans could speak openly, many could not.
02:32In recent weeks, critics of the bill, including high-profile lawyers,
02:36Love Momaduku and Tendai Bitti, have been arrested or reportedly assaulted.
02:41Human rights groups say the space for debate is shrinking.
02:45The very same opposition has been restricted in its mobilization, intimidation, exitway,
02:55insofar as getting these divergent views expressed or finding expression within the parliamentary public discourse process.
03:09All of this is unfolding as President Munangwagwa insists he will step down in 2028,
03:15yet has not publicly opposed his party's move.
03:19As Zimbabwe confronts yet another pivotal constitutional moment, the country faces a pressing question.
03:26Are these changes genuine reforms or a step toward deeper democratic regression?
03:31If you are going to extend a term limit, what are we extending the term limit for?
03:36This is a consolidation not just for an individual but a political party because the next person
03:41who will come after this particular individual to be the head of state of this country fundamentally will have the
03:48same machinery that allows them to stay for more than they are welcome.
03:52Many citizens, legal groups and community leaders are calling for the amendment to be decided through
03:58a national referendum, not by parliament alone.
04:01They must have a national referendum. They're obviously reluctant to have a national referendum
04:06because they know that there is broad opposition across citizens. It's not even a personality thing.
04:12Zimbabweans have spoken very clearly against what's being proposed here and we know that there's no,
04:18the interests of the people are not in the forefront when it comes to the amendments.
04:22For many citizens, the fight is no longer about politics but about protecting the very foundations
04:28of their democracy and that is the flip side.
Comments