Zimbabwe’s President Plans to Step Down When Tenure Ends in 2028
(Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he plans to leave office when his tenure ends in 2028, despite calls by some members of the ruling party for him to extend his term.
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“I am in my second term, and I already know the date I am stepping down. In 2028, I am going home, and others will take over,” Mnangagwa said while addressing journalists in China in a video posted by the Office of the President and Cabinet.
“This question of the third term does not arise, especially under my watch,” he said. “No. I am a constitutionalist. It means I follow the law.”
He was speaking after provincial ruling-party officials said they wanted the 81-year-old to extend his rule to 2030.
Mnangagwa was re-elected to a second and final term in August last year. The vote was disputed, and the outcome was rejected by the opposition.
Read: Campaign to Extend Zimbabwean Leader’s Rule Gains Momentum
He took over power in 2017 in a military-backed operation that led to the ouster of long-time ruler Robert Mugabe.
The southern African nation is currently in the grip of a drought that’s left more than half the rural population confronting food shortages.
--With assistance from Desmond Kumbuka.
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