Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed into law constitutional amendments that abolish direct presidential elections, postpone the next vote and extend his tenure, according to a government notice issued on Tuesday.

Mnangagwa's ruling ZANU-PF party, backed by some lawmakers from the opposition, pushed the amendments through parliament.

Parliament approved the amendments in June. They postpone the next election, scheduled for 2028, by two years, effectively extending Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030.

The revised constitution also scraps public voting in presidential elections, with lawmakers now responsible for choosing the president, and extends the terms of the president and MPs from five years to seven.

Court yet to rule on challenge to amendments

Supporters of the amendments contend that parliament had the authority to pass the changes because the constitutional two-term limit remains unchanged, even though each term would now be longer.

Zimbabwe’s courts have yet to rule on several legal challenges seeking to overturn the amendments.

Mnangagwa, 83, has ruled Zimbabwe since 2017, following the military-backed ouster of his predecessor, President Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019.