Mnangagwa will get more political mileage if he steps down at the end of his term

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa will get more political mileage if he steps down at the end of his second term in 2028.

He told journalists on Monday that he will be stepping down and his party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Font, will choose a new leader and a new president for the country.

Though Mnangagwa has repeatedly stated that he is a constitutionalist and will step down at the end of his term, some people are sceptical about this because of the situation on the ground.

Some of his lieutenants have repeatedly said that Mnangagwa will stay on because the party resolved at its annual conference in Bulawayo that his term should be extended to 2030.

Mnangagwa, however, told journalists that Zimbabwe was a democracy so people were free to express their opinions and to dream but he would not be pushed.

He said that if there were people that were persuading him to stay on, he would persuade them to stop persuading him to stay on.

Mnangagwa would gain more mileage if he steps down as he would prove that he is a constitutionalist.

The move would also set a precedent for his successor not to tamper with the constitution. The trend in the Southern African Development Community has been that most of the presidents step down at the end of their term and if they die in office their deputies take over.

Smooth succession is also likely to pave way for stability and economic growth.

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