HARARE
—
Former
Citizens
Coalition
for
Change
leader
Nelson
Chamisa
has
proposed
the
formation
of
a
“transitional
government”
while
urging
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
and
his
Zanu
PF
party
to
withdraw
a
bill
that
would
extend
the
president’s
term
by
two
years.
Chamisa,
who
announced
his
political
comeback
after
a
two-year
hiatus,
did
not
specify
who
would
lead
such
a
government
or
under
what
legal
framework
it
would
operate.
Writing
on
X,
he
said:
“Everywhere
I
go,
I
meet
Zimbabweans
who
are
worried
about
the
country’s
direction
and
future.
Regardless
of
age,
profession,
or
location,
many
share
a
deep
concern
about
the
path
the
nation
is
taking
and
the
dangers
the
country
faces
in
the
context
of
the
unilateral,
unpopular
and
anti-people
constitutional
amendment.
“The
wisest
thing
is
to
withdraw
this
#CAB3
from
parliament
and
constitute
a
transitional
government
that
will
address
all
the
challenges
our
country
faces.
It’s
doable.”
Parliament
is
currently
debating
the
Constitution
of
Zimbabwe
Amendment
(No.
3)
Bill,
2026,
which
would
extend
Mnangagwa’s
term
by
two
years
to
2030,
despite
criticism
from
a
fractured
opposition
and
some
veterans
of
the
liberation
war.
Mnangagwa,
83,
is
constitutionally
required
to
step
down
in
2028
after
serving
two
five-year
terms,
but
Zanu
PF
wants
to
amend
the
constitution
to
extend
presidential
terms
from
five
years
to
seven.
The
party
also
wants
future
presidents
elected
by
parliament
rather
than
by
direct
popular
vote.
Political
analysts
expect
the
bill
to
pass.
Zanu
PF
holds
a
two-thirds
majority
in
the
lower
house
and
controls
the
Senate
through
traditional
leaders
and
other
proxies
who
generally
vote
with
the
ruling
party
–
giving
it
the
numbers
to
change
the
constitution
unilaterally.
Until
recently,
Chamisa
had
been
notably
muted
on
the
planned
amendments.
His
call
for
a
transitional
government
appears
rooted
in
his
longstanding
claim
that
he
and
his
then-CCC
party
were
robbed
of
victory
in
the
2023
general
elections.
On
Wednesday,
he
wrote
that
“we
defeated
Zanu
PF
comprehensively
and
conclusively,”
pointing
to
comments
by
Justice
Minister
Ziyambi
Ziyambi,
who
–
while
justifying
the
cancellation
of
elections
in
2028
–
acknowledged
that
the
move
was
designed
to
avoid
the
toxicity
and
disputes
of
a
contested
outcome.
Political
analyst
Tadini
Masaya
said
Chamisa’s
intervention
risked
muddying
the
waters
at
a
critical
moment
in
the
constitutional
debate.
“Preaching
such
a
gospel
at
this
hour
completely
confuses
the
resistance,”
Masaya
said.
“When
the
enemy
is
actively
breaching
the
outer
wall,
you
do
not
send
a
delegation
to
discuss
sharing
the
living
room.”