CCC backs Constitutional Amendment Bill

The leadership of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in Parliament has thrown its weight behind the recently gazetted Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026, a stance that sharply contrasts with widespread public resistance and even dissenting voices within the ruling Zanu PF.

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda gazetted the bill on Monday, 16 February 2026, formally starting a 90-day public consultation process that will culminate in a vote by Members of Parliament and Senators.

The bill proposes sweeping changes to Zimbabwe’s constitutional architecture, including extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, replacing direct presidential elections with a parliamentary vote, dissolving the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), and restructuring several independent commissions.

With Zanu PF holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the bill may pass if the ruling party MPs support it.

When the CCC was established, it positioned itself as a staunch defender of constitutionalism and electoral reform. However, its parliamentary leadership has now endorsed the proposed amendments,  a stance observers say was ‘predictable,’ given that opposition MPs also stand to benefit from a two-year extension of their own terms.

Sengezo Tshabangu, who acts as Secretary-General of the CCC and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, said the party’s position is “very clear” regarding the recently gazetted bill, before referring questions to his spokesperson. 

In an interview with CITE, Tshabangu’s spokesperson, Nqobizitha Mlilo, defended the proposed reforms.

On the proposal to scrap direct presidential elections and instead allow Parliament to elect the President, Mlilo said:  “In principle, we agree with the changes. The election of the President through Parliament strengthens Parliament, and by implication, citizens’ oversight over the conduct of the executive.”

Under the current Zimbabwean electoral framework, the President derives a direct mandate from the electorate and critics have argued that shifting this power to legislators, many elected through party lists and subject to party discipline, could further centralise executive influence.

Mlilo dismissed fears that extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years would trigger a constitutional crisis, even though the amendments would apply immediately to current office holders.

“There is no constitutional crisis. The changes will and should be done in strict compliance with the Constitution,” he said.

When asked whether the CCC would insist that the term extension apply only to future office holders, Mlilo was unequivocal.

“In principle, we have no problem with the application of the changes immediately,” he said.

That position places the CCC parliamentary leadership at odds with a significant segment of the public, many of whom argue that extending the terms of sitting leaders amounts to moving the goalposts mid-game, as the reforms appear designed to benefit President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose current term is due to expire in 2028.

The amendment bill also proposes dissolving the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and replacing it with a new Zimbabwe Electoral Delimitation Commission, while transferring voter registration functions back to the Registrar-General’s Office.

Mlilo described the changes as long-overdue reforms.

“The changes are necessary to make sure that the credibility of the election is secured. ZEC has had legitimacy issues. These changes are the necessary electoral reforms we have been calling for,” he said.

However, ZEC has often been criticised by opposition parties, including the CCC, for alleged bias.

The transfer of voter registration powers to the Registrar-General, a role historically viewed with suspicion by opposition actors, departs from the decentralised model introduced in the 2013 Constitution.

Further controversy surrounds the proposed expansion of the Senate from 80 to 90 members, including 10 additional presidential appointees.

Rather than opposing the move, Mlilo suggested expanding it further.

“There may be a need to look at the composition of the Senate. We think there should be 20 additional senators,” he said.

“We need to increase the pool from which competent and talented people may be appointed for important positions by the President. There should be women and young people included.”

The bill also seeks to abolish the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, transferring their functions to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC).

Mlilo argued this was justified due to duplication of roles and suggested consolidation could improve efficiency.

However, he did not directly answer follow-up questions on whether these functions would be adequately protected under the ZHRC, or what the move signals about the government’s commitment to gender equality and post-conflict healing.

Mlilo framed the amendments within a broader call for national unity.

“It is important that these proposed changes should be taken to the people. The country’s lasting stability is important. We think the solution to our national challenges is the establishment of a Government of National Consensus,” he said.

“Its talk should be to unite our people, create economic and political stability. There should be generational transition. The old should prepare the young to govern.”

Mlilo did not respond to questions on how a president elected solely by MPs would be more accountable to an ordinary voter in remote constituencies, or whether they believe the current MPs and the President elected under a five-year mandate are entitled to extend their stay to seven years.

Meanwhile, resistance to the bill is mounting in other quarters with six liberation war veterans, Reuben Zulu, Godfrey Gurira, Shoorai Nyamangodo, Joseph Chinyangare, Digmore Knowledge Ndiya and Joseph Chinguwa, filing an urgent application at the Constitutional Court on Monday seeking to block President Mnangagwa from advancing the bill.

Prepared by constitutional law expert Professor Lovemore Madhuku, the application challenges Mnangagwa’s participation in Cabinet deliberations on the amendments, arguing that he stands to benefit personally from the proposed term extension. 

The applicants want Cabinet discussions on the bill declared null and void and seek to bar the President from further advancing it.

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