Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
President Mnangagwa has signed into law Constitution Amendment Bill Number 3, which, among other things, extends the presidential election cycle from five to seven years.
The new law, which will also result in Parliament sitting as an Electoral College after a general election to elect the President, marks a historic moment for the country’s constitutional democracy and legal jurisprudence.
The signing of the Bill, which is now known as the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act was announced by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Rushwaya, in an Extraordinary Government Gazette published yesterday.
“The following laws, which were assented to by His Excellency, the President are published in terms of subsection 6 (a) of section 131 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 3) Act (No 6 of 2026) and Medical Services Amendment Act (No 3) 2026,” reads the notice.
The assent by the President effectively means that the provisions of the Act will now begin to take effect.
President Mnangagwa signed the Bill after a marathon of legal activities that started in February this year when the Bill was gazetted, which eventually saw countrywide consultations by Parliament of Zimbabwe legislators.
The Parliament of Zimbabwe conducted wide-ranging consultations, traversing the length and breadth of the country, gathering views of the people about the Bill in compliance with the Constitution.
The proposed law was eventually tabled in Parliament for debate after a lapse of a mandatory 90-day window, which citizens should be afforded to make representations before commencement of deliberations during the plenary of Parliament.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi steered the Bill in both the National Assembly and Senate, where he explained the objective of the proposed law during its Second Reading stage.
There was robust debate in both the National Assembly and Senate, which culminated in voting in the two Chambers, where a requisite affirmative vote of two-thirds was secured in both Houses.
Parliament had to invoke its Standing Orders, where it suspended other businesses, including automatic adjournment times of 6:55pm to allow it to sit beyond prescribed times.
Debate on the Bill needed adequate time and legislators in both Houses had to sit until midnight in some instances for all legislators who wanted to express their views to.
During the debate, Minister Ziyambi made concessions on some clauses either by making additional amendments or withdrawing the Clauses.
One of the Clauses withdrawn was a provision that sought to confer political rights on traditional leaders.
Legislators had expressed reservations on the Clause, saying it undermined the spirit of non-partisanship expected of traditional leaders, where they are not allowed to take active roles in political activities.
Other amendments included the repeal of a Clause that had sought to disband the Zimbabwe Gender Commission after it was felt that it was not prudent to do so, given the fundamental role played by the organisation.
Those who supported the law prevailed in both Houses and at one time, the Bill had to be recommitted to the National Assembly for it to consider amendments made in the Senate aimed at improving the Bill.
Some of the provisions of the Act include the setting up of a Delimitation Commission, whose duties were previously performed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission while the Registrar General will revert to conducting the voter registration exercise.
ZEC has been executing the role in previous elections.
Some of the provisions will formally remove the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from the Prosecutor General appointment process.
The reform eliminates potential conflicts of interest, as prosecutors frequently appear before judges regulated by the same Commission.
When the Bill was initially tabled before the National Assembly, it secured 216 votes, which was 29 votes more than the two-thirds majority required to amend the Constitution.
Forty-two members of the CCC voted against the Bill.
The National Assembly debated the Bill over two weeks, with over 200 MPs making contributions.
The Senate also passed the Bill with an overwhelming majority of 75 to four votes, following its smooth passage.
The Bill was then sent back to the National Assembly to consider some of the few gaps identified in the Senate.
They included a provision that stipulates that ZEC would preside over the election of the President when Parliament sits as an electoral college, while there was also an additional Clause providing that the Clerk of Parliament would call for the inaugural sitting of Parliament after a general election.
Upon the return to the National Assembly for consideration of amendments by Senate, the Bill got an affirmative vote from 226 legislators against a paltry 41 votes from those who opposed its passage.
Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa has also signed into law the Medical Services Amendment Act, which seeks to align Zimbabwe’s healthcare laws with the Constitution.
Key provisions compel private hospitals to treat life-threatening emergencies and stabilise patients for at least 48 hours regardless of their ability to pay.
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