Zimbabwe: 'Second All Stakeholders' Conference': historic breakthrough or false dawn?

The Second All Stakeholders' Conference in Zimbabwe failed to resolve fundamental disagreements between ZANU-PF and the MDC formations regarding the draft constitution, specifically concerning the powers of the presidency and security sector reform. While cosmetic amendments were approved, key constitutional issues remain contested. The process is governed by the Global Political Agreement (GPA), with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) acting as a guarantor. There are concerns that the final draft may reflect political compromises rather than popular views and that President Robert Mugabe may attempt to exert undue influence over the final outcome, potentially violating the GPA.

• The Second All Stakeholders' Conference failed to reach agreement on critical constitutional issues, including security sector reform, the selection of presidential running mates, and the reduction of the powers of the 'imperial presidency'.
• ZANU-PF attempted to implement 266 changes to the draft constitution, but the MDC formations refused to renegotiate the July draft. Consequently, only 'cosmetic amendments' related to grammar were approved during the conference.
• There is a risk that the constitutional process may be diverted from the parliament-led mandate established by the Global Political Agreement (GPA) toward the party principals, where President Robert Mugabe is expected to have dominant influence.
• The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and South African President Jacob Zuma are identified as the essential guarantors for completing the constitutional reform and ensuring subsequent credible elections.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Zimbabwe: 'Second All Stakeholders' Conference': historic breakthrough or false dawn? https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/zimbabwe-second-all-stakeholders-conference-historic-breakthrough-or-false-dawn

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Zimbabwe: 'Second All Stakeholders' Conference': historic breakthrough or false dawn? n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/zimbabwe-second-all-stakeholders-conference-historic-breakthrough-or-false-dawn.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Zimbabwe: 'Second All Stakeholders' Conference': historic breakthrough or false dawn? |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/zimbabwe-second-all-stakeholders-conference-historic-breakthrough-or-false-dawn |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndzimbabwe, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Zimbabwe: 'Second All Stakeholders' Conference': historic breakthrough or false dawn?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/zimbabwe-second-all-stakeholders-conference-historic-breakthrough-or-false-dawn}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }