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Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF picks Mnangagwa as leader after 2028

Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF picks Mnangagwa as leader after 2028
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at a press conference in Harare on August 27, 2023   -  
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AP

Africa Elections

Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party on Sunday endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain its leader beyond 2028, as the 84-year-old seeks to extend his time in power.

In July, Mnangagwa signed constitutional amendments extending presidential terms from five to seven years, postponing the next election from 2028 to 2030 and replacing direct presidential elections with a parliamentary vote.

"We are a great people driven revolutionary movement which can never be stopped," Mnangagwa told party delegates meeting in Chinhoyi.

The changes have drawn criticism from opposition figures, civil society groups and human rights organisations.

One faction in ZANU-PF wants Mnangagwa to remain until 2030; another is preparing the ground for Constantino Chiwenga, the former army general who helped topple Robert Mugabe in the 2017 coup.