Zimbabwe's parliament has approved a sweeping constitutional amendment that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's time in office by two years, pushing the next presidential election from 2028 to 2030. Constitutional Amendment Bill No 3 passed the National Assembly on Thursday, with 216 to 218 lawmakers voting in favour — well above the 187-vote threshold required for constitutional amendments — and 42 against. The bill, sponsored by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, also lengthens the terms of the president, members of parliament, councillors and mayors from five to seven years. It now moves to the Senate, where it is widely expected to secure the two-thirds majority needed to become law.

The legislation makes a further, controversial change: it would replace the direct popular election of the president with a vote by a joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly. The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), which has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, controls both chambers. Mnangagwa, who came to power in November 2017 after a military-backed ouster of longtime ruler Robert Mugabe, has framed the changes as technical refinements to improve governance. Justice Minister Ziyambi insisted the bill was