A constitutional referendum was held in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

on 16 and 17 March 2013,All Set for Zimbabwe's Referendum Vote
AllAfrica, 13 March 2013 after being postponed from September 2011 and from 30 June 2011. Ultimately the new constitution was approved by 94.5% of voters.

Background

President

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

told the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

that the new government formed in February 2009 "has fostered an environment of peace and stability. Several reforms have been implemented and Government has created and instituted constitutional bodies agreed to in the Global Political Agreement." As a result, a constitutional outreach programme was underway; upon whose completion a draft constitution would be formulated as a precursor to a referendum. He hoped this would be followed by an election.

New constitution

The new constitution would limit the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

to two five-year terms in office, though it did not apply retrospectively and therefore Mugabe was not restricted from seeking re-election. It abolished the post of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

,Mugabe appoints ZANU-PF lawyer as Zimbabwe finance minister
Reuters, 10 September 2013 and established an independent prosecuting authority, a peace and reconciliation commission and an anti-corruption commission.Zimbabwe approves new constitution
BBC News, 19 March 2013 It also allowed for dual citizenship, but prevented any legal challenges to the land reform programme.

Results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2013 Zimbabwean constitutional referendum 2013 referendums 2013 constitutional referendum

Constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

2013 elections in Africa Constitutional referendums in Zimbabwe