CCC backs Constitutional Amendment Bill

The leadership of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in Parliament has thrown its weight behind the recently gazetted Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026, a stance that sharply contrasts with widespread public resistance and even dissenting voices within the ruling Zanu PF. Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda gazetted the bill on Monday, 16 February 2026, formally starting a 90-day public consultation process that will culminate in a vote by Members of Parliament and Senators.

The bill proposes sweeping changes to Zimbabwe’s constitutional architecture, including extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, replacing direct presidential elections with a parliamentary vote, dissolving the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), and restructuring several independent commissions. With Zanu PF holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the bill may pass if the ruling party MPs support it. When the CCC was established, it positioned itself as a staunch defender of constitutionalism and electoral reform.

However, its parliamentary leadership has now endorsed the proposed amendments, a stance observers say was ‘predictable,’ given that opposition MPs also stand to benefit from a two-year extension of their own terms. Sengezo Tshabangu, who acts as Secretary-General of the CCC and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, said the party’s position is “very clear” regarding the recently gazetted bill, before referring questions to his spokesperson. In an interview with CITE, Tshabangu’s spokesperson, Nqobizitha Mlilo, defended the proposed reforms.

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On the proposal to scrap direct presidential elections and instead allow Parliament to elect the President, Mlilo said: “In principle, we agree with the changes. The election of the President through Parliament strengthens Parliament, and by implication, citizens’ oversight over the conduct of the executive.” Under the current Zimbabwean electoral framework, the President derives a direct mandate from the electorate and critics have argued that shifting this power to legislators, many elected through party lists and subject to party discipline, could further centralise executive influence. Mlilo dismissed fears that extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years would trigger a constitutional crisis, even though the amendments would apply immediately to current office holders.

“There is no constitutional crisis. The changes will and should be done in strict compliance with the Constitution,” he said. When asked whether the CCC would insist that the term extension apply only to future office holders, Mlilo was unequivocal.

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