By Daniel Chigundu
United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA), fronted by Elisabeth Valerio, has joined the bandwagon of opposition parties that have castigated the proposed Constitutional Amendment No.3.
In a statement, UZA’s Secretary for Information and Media Tadini Wenyika Masaya said amending the Constitution to extend term limits for the current President is a constitutional coup.
He said the 2013 Constitution is a product of the people’s will and must be guarded.
“The United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) stands in resolute opposition to the proposed Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill.
“This Bill, which seeks to extend presidential terms from five to seven years and abolish the direct election of the President by the citizens, is a clear and present danger to our democracy.
“It is a calculated attempt to dismantle the 2013 Constitution, erode the will of the people, and entrench a system of unaccountable governance,” he said.
According to Masaya, his party’s ideology is rooted in the belief that power belongs to the people and the state exists only to serve them.
He said delegating Parliament to choose a President strips the individual citizen of their most fundamental right, the right to choose their leader.
“The UZA vision, as enshrined in our founding principles, is to build a ‘democratic, free, and transparent society conducive to the prosperity of all citizens.”
“Our ideology is rooted in the belief that power belongs to the people, and the state exists only to serve them. Amendment Bill No. 3 diametrically opposes this vision.
“By proposing that the President be elected by Parliament rather than through a direct popular vote, this Bill effectively disenfranchises over 15 million Zimbabweans.
“It strips the individual citizen of their most fundamental right, the right to choose their leader, and hands that power to a political elite.
Defending The People’s Will
Masaya said the 2013 Constitution was a product of the people’s will.
“Section 328 specifically prohibits any amendment to term limits from benefiting the incumbent.
“Attempting to bypass these safeguards to extend the current administration’s tenure to 2030 is not ‘ modernisation ‘, it is a constitutional coup.
“UZA believes in the “Rule of Law” where the law is a shield for the weak, not a weapon for the powerful.
“This Bill weaponises the legislative process to serve personal and partisan interests at the expense of national stability,” he said.
Our Call to Action
UZA, which provided the only female Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, urged Zimbabweans to reject the proposed Bill and demanded a return to genuine democracy.
“United Zimbabwe Alliance calls upon all Zimbabweans, civil society, and the international community to reject this Bill in its entirety.
“We demand a return to the path of genuine democracy where leaders are held accountable through regular, free, and fair direct elections.
“UZA remains committed to ‘governing with the people and for the people.” We will not stand by while the heritage of our future is traded for the entrenchment of a few,” said the party.
Cabinet Moves
Cabinet recently approved the principles of a Bill that aims to make one of Zanu PF’s resolutions from the National People’s Conference a living reality.
Zanu PF, at its 2024 and 2025 National People’s Conferences, resolved that the term of office for President Emmerson Mnangagwa be extended by two years so that he can leave office in 2030.
Currently, Emmerson Mnangagwa is supposed to leave office in 2028, after serving his two terms (10 years) in the office of the President.
However, the principles that were presented and adopted by the Cabinet do more than just extend the term by two years.
They have brought in a cocktail of other changes that were not even requested at the Conferences.
Chief among the unrequested changes is the proposal to alter the method of electing Presidents in Zimbabwe.
If passed Presidents will be elected by Parliament, a departure from the current status where the general citizens vote through general elections.
