Postponement of Elections Unconstitutional, Undemocratic – Coltart
12 January 2025
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By A Correspondent

Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has strongly criticized President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s proposal to extend his term beyond 2028, calling the move unconstitutional and undemocratic.

In a statement issued last week, Coltart stated, “For the sake of personal clarity – I do not agree that the elections scheduled for 2028 should be postponed. This will not only be unconstitutional but against the principles of representative democracy. The electorate voted people to their respective offices in 2023 for 5-year terms. The electorate’s expectation was never that those terms be extended in any way.”

Coltart went on to emphasize that there was no mandate for any political party or politician to extend their term arbitrarily, adding, “There is no mandate given to any political party, or any politicians, to arbitrarily and unilaterally extend their mandate in the manner suggested.”

Earlier, government spokesperson Nick Mangwana had stated, “THE country’s main opposition party, CCC, is in agreement with a resolution by the ruling Zanu PF party to postpone the next harmonised elections from 2028 to 2030 to allow developmental projects initiated by President @edmnangagwa to come to fruition.”