Even as it attracts widespread criticism, Zimbabwe’s proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) could present an unexpected opportunity for the opposition to rebuild and reposition itself within an ‘expanded’ electoral lifecycle, according to a political analyst.
CAB3 proposes changes to electoral reforms, including extending the presidential term from five to seven years, which would enable President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power beyond the current two-term limit.
Speaking during a public lecture on the amendment bill at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo on Friday, political science scholar and Pan-Africanist, Richard Mahomva, argued that the bill’s provision to extend the electoral cycle could create space for opposition parties to recover from years of decline.
Mahomva said that while CAB3 is rooted in Zanu PF’s broader agenda of economic empowerment and institutional continuity, its effects are not limited to the ruling party.
“Having articulated how the monumental proposal of CAB3 is underpinned on Zanu PF’s foundational principles to protect economic democratisation, it is important to also state that the expansion of the electoral cycle stands to benefit opposition forces in Zimbabwe,” he said.
According to Mahomva, Zimbabwe’s opposition has been weakened by internal divisions, leadership disputes, and dwindling external support, leaving it fragmented and struggling to mount a credible challenge.
“An expanded electoral lifecycle gives time for the resurrection of our opposition. Across its decomposed institutional divide, the opposition is in need of recuperation,” he said.
“CAB3 gives the opposition a second chance to rebuild itself, create structures, and compete for power with a semblance of institutional traction which Zanu PF currently possesses.”
He argued that reduced foreign funding, which he attributed to declining Western interest in Zimbabwe, has forced opposition parties to rethink their survival strategies.
In this context, Mahomva said, a longer electoral cycle could provide critical time to establish sustainable, locally driven funding models.
“CAB3 enables the opposition to assume an organic form, given that a majority of its external funding has been cut due to the West’s regime change fatigue in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“An increase in the election preparatory period from five to seven years serves as a strategic moment for Zimbabwe’s opposition to develop local funding strategies for their cause.”
Mahomva also placed the current political and economic dynamics within a historical context, arguing that opposition movements have struggled in part because of their stance on key economic policies, particularly land reform and resource control.
“A stumbling block to this process is that the pro-Western functional approach of the opposition, from the MDC formations to the CCC, discouraged participation in land reform and mining sectors since 1999,” he said.
He contrasted this with Zanu PF’s approach, which he said focused on redistributing land and consolidating control over key economic sectors, thereby building a loyal support base.
“Meanwhile, Zanu PF was allocating land to the formerly disenfranchised African majority. As a result, beneficiaries of these economic empowerment initiatives now control significant means of production,” he said.
Mahomva argued that this shift in economic power has left opposition supporters at a disadvantage, making it difficult for opposition parties to mobilise resources and sustain political campaigns.
He suggested that achieving Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 goal of becoming an upper middle-income economy could provide an opening for opposition supporters to rebuild their economic base and, in turn, strengthen their political prospects.
“This may be the only window through which economically marginalised opposition supporters can develop an organic fundraising mechanism to support their aspirations to capture power,” he said.
Mahomva dismissed criticism that CAB3 is primarily about extending presidential tenure, saying such interpretations overlook its broader political implications.
“Critics of CAB3 focus only on the presidential term clause as an instrument of power retention and miss the fact that this proposal could reinvigorate democracy by giving a new lease of life to the opposition,” he said.
He went further to describe the proposed amendment as a potential turning point in Zimbabwe’s political evolution, suggesting it could rebalance competition by allowing opposition parties time to recover from years of fragmentation and declining support.
“This is an important milestone in our post-independence history,” he said. “CAB3 may provide the opposition with a timely opportunity to address its internal challenges and reposition itself within Zimbabwe’s political landscape.”
Despite Mahomva’s optimism about the potential benefits for the opposition, the proposed amendment remains highly contested, with critics arguing it could entrench ruling party dominance and weaken democratic accountability.