HARARE
–
Seventy-nine
percent
or
eight
in
10
Zimbabweans
support
constitutional
provisions
limiting
the
president
to
a
maximum
two
five-year
terms,
according
to
a
new
survey
by
Afrobarometer.
The
limits
are
popular
with
Zimbabweans
of
all
age
groups
and
among
citizens
living
in
both
urban
and
rural
areas.
The
results
are
a
blow
to
supporters
of
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
who
are
actively
urging
him
to
amend
the
constitution
and
run
for
office
again
when
his
second
and
final
term
ends
in
2028.
Scrapping
term
limits
would
require
at
least
one
public
referendum.
Afrobarometer’s
survey
suggests
a
proposal
to
do
away
with
presidential
term
limits
would
be
hugely
unpopular.
“A
large
majority
of
Zimbabweans
say
they
prefer
the
present
constitutional
arrangement
that
limits
the
president
to
a
maximum
of
two
terms
in
office,”
Afrobarometer
said.
Men
are
more
likely
than
women
to
support
presidential
term
limits
–
81
percent
to
76
percent,
the
survey
showed.
Urban
residents
(85
percent)
strongly
support
term
limits
compared
to
their
rural
counterparts
(74
percent).
Support
for
term
limits
increased
with
respondents’
level
of
education,
rising
from
69
percent
among
those
with
primary
schooling
to
87
percent
among
those
with
tertiary
education.
All
age
groups
also
strongly
support
term
limits.
Survey
respondents
aged
18-35
years
were
in
favour
by
79
percent.
Age
36-55
and
56
and
above
were
equally
in
support
by
78
percent.
Just
20
percent
of
respondents
supported
scrapping
term
limits,
while
one
percent
of
the
respondents
either
said
they
“don’t
know”
or
declined
to
offer
their
opinions.
The
Afrobarometer
team
in
Zimbabwe,
led
by
the
Mass
Public
Opinion
Institute
(MPOI),
conducted
face-to-face
interviews
with
1,200
adult
citizens
between
June
1
and
June
15,
2024.
On
the
question
of
multi-party
political
competition
in
Zimbabwe,
about
two-thirds
(68
percent)
of
citizens
were
in
favour
of
having
many
political
parties
so
that
voters
have
real
choices
in
who
governs
them,
while
31
percent
said
political
parties
create
division
and
confusion
and
it
is
unnecessary
to
have
many
of
them.