Zimbabwe's Senate approves bill extending Mnangagwa's term to 2030
Zimbabwe's Senate has approved sweeping constitutional amendments that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's time in office until 2030, a move opposition figures have condemned as a "constitutional coup."
The upper house passed the changes with 75 senators voting in favour and four against. The bill had already cleared the National Assembly, where 216 lawmakers backed it and 42 voted against. With parliament's approval secured, the legislation now requires Mnangagwa's signature to become law.
The amendments extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years and delay the next presidential election. They also include a provision allowing the president to be chosen by parliament rather than through a direct popular vote, a change critics say weakens democratic accountability.
Mnangagwa, 83, took power in 2017 after the removal of long-time ruler Robert Mugabe. Opposition parties argue the measures are designed to entrench the governing ZANU-PF party's grip on the country, and activists who have tried to organise against the changes say they have faced intimidation and violence.
Supporters of the amendments within the ruling party have framed them as a constitutional overhaul rather than a personal extension of power. The bill's passage sets up a tense period in Zimbabwean politics as attention turns to whether and when the president will sign it into law.
