EMMERSON Mnangagwa, only the second person Zimbabweans have known as their President since the country’s independence in 1980, says he has no intention of running for a third term of office.

President Mnangagwa, who turns 82 this September, has been at the helm of the southern African country since November 24, 2017 when he furtively toppled, using the country’s army, long-serving dictator, Robert Mugabe.

Mnangagwa won a contentious vote in July, 2018 to start his first five year term of office.

Mugabe was President for 30 years from 1987 to November 2017.

Prior to becoming President of Zimbabwe, Mugabe, who died in September 2019, was its Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987.

In August, 2023, President Mnangagwa was elected to start serving his second – and final – five year term of office that runs until slightly after mid-2028.

Article 91 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe prohibits a person to vie for election as President or Vice-President if that person already held office as President.

President Mnangagwa, who is popularly known as The Crocodile due to his political cunning, says he will abide by that country’s Constitution when his term of office expires.

The President told Brick by Brick magazine that assertions that the country’s supreme law will be amended to allow him to elongate his presidency are misplaced.

“I’m very happy that Zimbabweans are very imaginative,” he said.

“They can imagine about anything, which shows that there is democracy in the country.”

President Mnangagwa noted that him and his comrades in ZANU-PF, the governing party, are democratic and relentlessly obey the Constitution

“There is not an iota of evidence where ZANU-PF or I, as President, has ever expressed the violation of our Constitution,” said President Mnangagwa.

“But we allow people to dream properly or widely. They will still wake up and find things are working and the Constitution hasn’t changed.”

Kalemba April 7, 2024