Harare – The Zimbabwe National Assembly on Thursday passed a controversial bill to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office by two years from 2028 to 2030.
The lower house of Parliament passed the bill which has been castigated by retired army Generals.
The constitutional amendment bill number three which has been known as CAB3 will now be taken to the Senate where it will be debated and passed.
The MPs who voted in the vote are 258 according to the parliament of Zimbabwe.
The bill had 216 MPs voting ‘Yes’ to the bill while 42 voted ‘No’ to the bill.
”216 MPs having voted in favour, number of affirmative votes in support of CAB3 , breaches the 187 mark which was needed to garner the 2/3 majority,” the parliament said.
”Therefore the Hon Speaker has announced that CAB3 has been passed by the National Assembly. Bill now awaits transmission to the Senate.”
The CAB3 has been criticized by the ordinary people who wanted the country to hold a referendum for people to approve or reject the bill.
Factional fights in ZANU PF have been intensifying in the past years with one aligned to Mnangagwa seeking to extend his tenure while the other faction aligned to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga wanted the former army chief to take over power in 2028.
Zimbabwe is struggling from an economic crisis that has left over 80 percent of the population unemployed. Poverty is rife in the southern African country with people struggling to make ends meet.
However, business people like Wicknel Chivayo who has close links to Mnangagwa has been splashing cash like confetti at a wedding giving thousands if dollars or million dollars and cars to whoever he wishes to give.
People have questioned his source of income. Others accuse him of being involved in high level corruption.