Zimbabwe’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill to extend presidential terms from five to seven years, allowing President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030 and scrapping direct presidential elections. More than 200 lawmakers voted in favour on Thursday, surpassing the 187 votes needed for a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution. Forty-two voted against. The bill now heads to the senate, where it is expected to secure approval before being enacted by the president. The amendment is the culmination of a campaign by the ruling Zanu-PF party, in power since independence in 1980, which received cabinet backing in February. Mnangagwa, 83, took power in 2017 after ousting long-time ruler Robert Mugabe with military backing, and went on to win disputed elections in 2018 and 2023. He had previously described himself as a constitutionalist and pledged to respect term limits. Opponents including opposition parties, civil society groups and constitutional lawyers argue that such fundamental changes should be put to a national referendum rather than being approved solely through parliament. The country’s Constitutional Court dismissed a legal challenge seeking to block the bill on Wednesday. A new constitution adopted in 2013 restricted a president to two terms and required a referendum for any extension, with a second referendum needed for a sitting president to benefit.
In a contrasting move, Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, an appointee of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, on Friday approved a constitutional amendment barring Orbán from returning to office. The amendment limits prime ministers to no more than eight years in office; Orbán served a total of 20 years. The parliament overwhelmingly approved the amendment on Monday, sending it to the president’s desk. Sulyok wrote that the popularly dubbed “lex Orbán” was “virtually unique both in Europe and worldwide.” Although he signed the amendment instead of sending it to the Constitutional Court for review, he said the decision would be “limiting” the will of the people. The amendment follows a longtime campaign promise by the government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar to introduce term limits, which would also apply to Magyar. Meanwhile, Magyar is working to remove Sulyok from office, accusing him of being a “puppet” of the previous regime. Sulyok earlier rejected Magyar’s demand that he resign, setting up what Sulyok has called a “constitutional crisis.”
“Zimbabwe moves to extend Mnangagwa's term while Hungary approves a law barring Orbán's return to power.”