Economist and former opposition MP Eddie Cross has warned ZANU PF that it is making a political misstep by pushing ahead with constitutional changes without holding a referendum.
On 16 February 2026, the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026 was gazetted, marking its formal introduction for parliamentary debate and public consultations.
The Bill proposes several key changes, including extending presidential, parliamentary, and local authority terms from five to seven years.
It also proposes to move the management of the voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General.
Cross said that although he pledged to uphold the constitution, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is overseeing a process that would extend his term to 2030. He said:
“Despite repeated undertakings to respect the constitution, he has now presided over a process to extend his term to 2030, when he will be close to 90 years old and to centralise even more power in the hands of the presidency.
“Even worse, he intends to simply force these changes through the parliament, where he is confident of a two-thirds majority. And yet the constitution requires a referendum.
“This is the third major amendment to the constitution of 2013 in a short period of time, but by far the most substantial.”
Cross warned that if these constitutional changes are merely a tactic to block democratic leadership change within ZANU PF, they could well backfire. He said:
“When their political and economic delinquency forced regional countries, led by South Africa, to force change and form a Government of National Unity in 2009, we saw real reform and progress…
“Now they are attempting to remove those shackles and create a situation where they can impose a new president on the country and govern into the future, even though they would clearly lose any election held under supervision and on a free and fair basis.
“This is a tactical and political error. It is possible for a liberation based party to retain power after the transition they engineered but is taking a serious effort to renew leadership and policy.”
Cross believes that Zimbabwe is ready for change, and any attempt to cling to power is bound to fail in one way or another. He said:
“History has clearly shown this, and our country is more than ready for real change.
“If these constitutional changes are just a ploy to avoid the democratic change of leadership in the ZANU PF party, it might well seal their fate.”
More: ZimLive
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