President Robert Mugabe
of Zimbabwe will be allowed to try and extend his 33-year rule for another
decade, according to a new constitution agreed between his party and its main
opponents to pave the way for elections.
While the constitution
limits the holder of the office of president to two five-year terms, the
measure is not retroactive, according to a copy of the document obtained by Bloomberg News from an official who helped negotiate
the law. The position of Prime Minister, currently held by Mugabe’s political
opponent Morgan Tsvangirai, will be abolished.
“A person is disqualified
for election as President or Vice-President if he or she has already held
office as President under this Constitution for two terms,” according to the
document. The official confirmed that this means that terms served under the
existing constitution will be disregarded for the purposes of eligibility for
the next election.
The agreement of a new
constitution between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party
of Mugabe, 88, and Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, announced by
the two leaders on Jan. 18, paves the way for a referendum on the new law to be
followed by an election. Still, the clause allowing Mugabe to compete for the
presidency represents a setback for the party of Tsvangirai. An initial draft
of the constitution proposed by the MDC had disqualified Mugabe from further
rule.
“We will definitely
campaign for a yes vote at the referendum,” Rugare Gumbo, a spokesman for
Zanu-PF, said in an interview today. “We’re happy with this constitution.”
Flawed Elections
Mugabe and Tsvangirai
have ruled Zimbabwe in a coalition government since 2009 when the 15-nation
Southern African Development Community compelled the leaders to form a
government together to end a decade-long political dispute and economic
recession. Mugabe and his party won a series of elections between 2000 and 2008
that were described by observers including those from the European Union as
flawed by violence and irregularities.
In the last election in
2008 Tsvangirai won a first-round presidential vote without taking the more
than 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a run off. He withdrew from the
run-off, citing violent attacks on his supporters by backers of Mugabe.
“It’s clearly a compromise
document, but I think its clearly the basis for a move forward,” said Brian
Raftopoulos. director of research at the Solidarity Peace Trust, a Cape Town-
based human rights group, in an interview. “It’s likely to pass through a
referendum.”
Read more: Bloomberg
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