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President must not be above 70 — Makoni

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Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) party president Simba Makoni says the new Constitution should provide for an age limit on presidential candidates, saying people above 70 years should be barred from contesting. Addressing less than 100 party supporters at a campaign rally at Njube Hall in Bulawayo on Sunday, Makoni said the constitutional provision would ensure leaders did […]

Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) party president Simba Makoni says the new Constitution should provide for an age limit on presidential candidates, saying people above 70 years should be barred from contesting.

Addressing less than 100 party supporters at a campaign rally at Njube Hall in Bulawayo on Sunday, Makoni said the constitutional provision would ensure leaders did not overstay their welcome.

“The country’s President must be given a limit of the number of years they can serve. That will simply put a stop to the handiende (I won’t retire) syndrome,” Makoni said.

“As much as there is a certain number of years where one is deemed mature enough to be President, anyone above 70 years shouldn’t be President of the country. When you get old, you reach a point where the spirit may be willing, but the flesh would be tired. Anyone above 70 years of age should just leave Presidency issues and concentrate on playing with their grandchildren.”

The current constitution provides an entry limit of 40 years, but no maximum limit for presidential candidates.

Makoni also said his party wanted the new constitution to include proportional representation so that all voters can be represented in Parliament.

“If we had proportional representation in 2008, we would be having MKD parliamentarians today in the House of Assembly. We would be having about 8,2% of the 210 parliamentarians in the national assembly. We also want one chamber of Parliament of less than 150 MPs. 210 people in Parliament is an overload,” he said.

Makoni said MKD supported dual citizenship, “because we are now living in a global village”.

Makoni left Zanu PF in 2008 and contested the presidential poll as an independent under the banner of the MKD movement. He was supported by Dumiso Dabengwa, who later ditched him and revived Zapu.

Makoni went on to launch MKD as a political party and is expected to be in the race for the country’s highest office in the next general election, whose dates are yet to be proclaimed.