Mnangagwa signs Zimbabwe amendment shifting presidential election to parliament

President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 into law on 9 July 2026, extending presidential and parliamentary terms and changing the method for selecting future presidents. Under the amendment, the president will be elected by a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate rather than by a direct popular vote, effectively ending the "one person, one vote" system that has been in place since 1990.

The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change and civil‑society groups denounced the reforms, calling them a blow to democratic space and demanding intervention from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. Legal analysts warn the shift could insulate the presidency from accountability and raise the stakes of parliamentary elections. The change has sparked national debate over Zimbabwe’s democratic future and governance.