France, April 10 -- Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu-PF, is pushing the reforms after publishing them in February and holding public consultations at the end of March.

They would extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, and scrap the direct popular vote for the presidency, instead giving members of parliament the power to choose the head of state.

"The changes will morph the country into a one-party state system of governance which former President Mugabe attempted to do," Blessing Vava, head of a regional civil society coalition on democracy and accountability, told RFI.

Mnangagwa, 83, who has been serving his second term since 2023, would also gain a two-year extension beyond his current 2028 mandate if the ...