Zimbabwe bill seeks to extend president's term to 2030

Key facts

• Zimbabwe's government introduced a bill to parliament to extend presidential terms from five to seven years.
• The bill would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term to 2030.
• The legislation also proposes electing presidents by parliament rather than direct popular vote.
• Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF party holds a two-thirds majority in parliament, enabling constitutional changes.
• Retired generals and former civil servants have publicly opposed the bill.

Zimbabwe's government has introduced a bill in parliament that seeks to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term by two years, pushing the end date to 2030. The proposed legislation would also shift presidential elections from popular vote to parliamentary selection and increase term lengths from five to seven years. Despite opposition from some war veterans, activists, and retired officials, the bill is expected to pass due to the ruling ZANU-PF party's significant majority in both houses of parliament. The party has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.