Law bars Mugabe from Zimbabwe polls

HARARE, Friday

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe will be barred from contesting in future polls if the draft constitution is adopted.

The draft constitution bars candidates above 70 years or those who have served two terms from vying for seats in elections, a provision widely seen as targeted at President Mugabe.

The Constitution Select Committee on Friday said it had completed the first draft of the supreme law, which is now being reviewed by a team of technical experts.

But the clause which says “a person is disqualified for elections as President if he or she has already held office as President for one or more periods, whether continuous or not, amounting to 10 years” has already sparked a heated debate.

The state-owned Herald newspaper said the clause appeared targeted at President Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.  

Political parties

He is turning 88 on February 21 but has been endorsed by his Zanu PF as its candidate for elections he wants held this year.

“It is clear this is a Mugabe constitution,” the Herald quoted an unnamed political analyst.

“Here is a constitution that is being drafted by three political parties seeking to disqualify the leader of one of the political parties.”

A decade ago, another attempt to re-write Zimbabwe’s constitution failed after the drafters ignored people’s views regarding presidential term limits.

A coalition of opposition parties and civic groups successfully campaigned for a ‘No’ vote at a referendum on the new constitution in 2000 and delivered a crushing defeat against President Mugabe.

According to the Herald newspaper, which usually reflects the thinking in Zanu PF, the experts described the new draft constitution as “an originally flawed regime change document that does not reflect the view of the people.”