Zimbabwe extended the presidential term to 2030 without a referendum while police and armed men attacked opponents of the change, Human Rights Watch says
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President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 in early July 2026, extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years and replacing the direct presidential election with a vote by legislators, which keeps him in office until 2030. No referendum was held. Human Rights Watch documented attacks and arbitrary arrests of civil society, opposition and student activists, including beatings by unidentified armed men at consultation meetings while police were present. The Constitutional Court dismissed a challenge by war veterans on 18 June 2026; the government says there is no basis for the claims, and lawyer Lovemore Madhuku says further litigation will continue.
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