Zimbabwe’s parliament has approved constitutional amendments that would extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years; to become law, they await the signature of the president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. The changes would lengthen the president’s current and final constitutionally permitted term until 2030. They would also replace direct presidential elections with a system in which parliament appoints the president. Opposition leaders and legal experts have strongly criticised the reforms, describing them as a threat to democratic accountability. Some argue that provisions within the amendments could allow future presidents to begin new seven-year terms after being elected by parliament, while also enabling parliament to prolong its own mandate without returning to voters. The measures will probably strengthen the longstanding rule of the governing Zanu-PF party, which has remained in power since Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980.