Zimbabwe’s ruling party picks President Mnangagwa as candidate for 2030 elections

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zimbabwe’s ruling party has picked President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 84, as its presidential candidate for national elections due in 2030, two years later than the previously scheduled 2028 polls following constitutional changes.

Mnangagwa was unanimously chosen at the 23rd Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) National People’s Conference in the city of Chinhoyi, northwest of the capital Harare, which concluded on Saturday.

“The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front unanimously resolved to extend President Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028 to 2030,” the presidency said on US social media company X after the conference.

In July, Mnangagwa signed into law constitutional amendments that extended his term of office from 2028 to 2030 and increased presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years.

The amendments also abolished direct presidential elections, allowing the president to be elected by parliament.

Mnangagwa has ruled the southern African nation since 2017, when a coup removed longtime leader Robert Mugabe, under whom he had served as vice president and a longtime political ally.

By 2030, Mnangagwa would have ruled the southern African nation for 13 years.