In an interview with The Standard’s chief reporter Everson Mushava (EM), MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa (NC) called for the removal of the presidential age limit.

Chamisa said the presidential age limit should be reduced to 18 to make sure the right to vote moves with the right to be voted. He also
responded to criticism that he lacks maturity.

Chamisa said maturity is defined in the ability to give Zimbabweans a decent life. Below is an excerpt of the interview:EM: In the run-up to the recent Zanu PF annual conference, war veterans said they wanted the minimum age for presidential election candidates to be raised from 40 to 52 years and this would have disqualified you from contesting the next election. What are your thoughts on that?

NC: I talk to war veterans every time.
The genuine war veterans are interested in genuine discourse that
makes our country move forward. I
have never doubted their commitment to a better life for all Zimbabweans and the reason why the war was waged was to give effect to the liberation agenda. It requires unanimous endorsement of the support given to universal suffrage. That was the core of the liberation struggle, and it includes the right to vote and to be voted for.
In fact, we should actually reduce the
presidential age limit to 18. If you are
able to vote, you should also be able to be voted for. We should actually
remove the presidential bar and make sure the right to vote moves with the right to be voted.
All the war veterans went to war at a
tender age, the likes of (vice-presidents) Constantino Chiwenga,
Kembo Mohadi and Mnangagwa
himself.

EM: Those making such a proposal
say you are not mature. What is your
reaction to that?
NC: What is the definition of maturity? I don’t know what they are talking about. There are people who think age comes with wisdom. Others have grown old without growing up, especially in Zanu PF. The legal age of majority was decided after several considerations.
Barack Obama was leader of the
United States of America at a tender
age and succeeded, the same with
[Emmanuel] Macron of France; they
are in their prime time.
If maturity is a crime associated with
not being hardened in the old school of corruption and killing, then I am guilty as charged. That is not the type of politics that I believe in. Maturity is defined in the ability to give Zimbabweans a decent life.
Maturity is defined by the currency
your people use, the hospitals the
people go to, and many other factors,
but now if you look at these, I can say that most of our leaders lack maturity.
Most of these old politicians are late
bloomers, they are blooming in their
70s and 80s and they want everyone
to wait.Standard