Zimbabwe releases on bail top opponent of changes extending the president’s rule

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe released on bail the leading opponent of planned constitutional amendments that would extend the rule of the country’s 83-year-old president and have the post elected by Parliament, not the people.

Former finance minister Tendai Biti was granted $500 bail on Monday, ordered to report to the police twice a week, and surrender his passport, his lawyer Chris Ndlovu said. Biti has also been barred from convening or addressing a public gathering without notifying the police as part of the bail conditions.

It’s the highest profile detention yet of critics of the attempt to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his rule, due to end in 2028, by two years. Police in recent months have banned meetings and arrested people for gathering to express opposition.

Biti leads the Constitutional Defenders Forum, a group campaigning against the amendments. Ndlovu said Biti and programs director Morgan Ncube are accused of holding a public meeting without notifying the police. They were detained on Saturday in the eastern city of Mutare.

There was no immediate comment from Zimbabwe authorities. But in the past, they have rejected accusations that they are eroding promises of democratic reform made after decades of rule by former leader Robert Mugabe, known for his repressive command.

Mnangagwa, who came to power after a popular military coup against Mugabe in 2017, has said he will step down when his second term ends in 2028. However, he has not publicly opposed his ruling ZANU-PF party’s push to extend his term. His Cabinet approved the amendment proposal in February before sending it to Parliament, where the ruling party holds a majority.

The proposed changes would postpone elections to 2030, allow the president to be elected by Parliament instead of by popular vote and extend both the presidential term and those of members of Parliament from five to seven years.

Biti and other critics say any amendment extending presidential terms must be approved in a referendum. But Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Mnangagwa’s supporters say Parliament can pass the changes without one because the two-term limit would remain, even though terms would be longer.

Opposition has grown, and challenges have been filed in courts. But physical meetings have become increasingly risky. Amnesty International has described arrests as an “escalating crackdown on peaceful dissent.”

Earlier this month, law professor and opposition figure Lovemore Madhuku was admitted to a hospital after being beaten by unidentified men he claimed were police officers following a party meeting on the proposed changes. Police denied involvement, saying the gathering had been banned.

Last year, the offices of the think tank SAPES Trust were set on fire hours before it was due to host a news conference by opponents of the amendments.

Mnangagwa won reelection in a disputed poll in 2023, but international rights groups alleged a crackdown on opposition officials and supporters by the ruling party.

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