Zimbabwe president signs into law constitutional change extending term

The amendments, which also scrap direct presidential elections, have been sharply criticised by opposition figures in the country where 83-year-old Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF party holds a parliamentary majority.

"SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED -- IT'S NOW LAW," information ministry senior official Nick Mangwana announced in a post on X that showed a copy of the new act.

The raft of changes -- labelled a "constitutional coup" by critics -- includes a provision that would extend the presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years.

Another amendment gives parliament the power to appoint the president, doing away with direct presidential elections that were introduced in 1987, seven years after independence.

The sweeping changes sailed through both houses of parliament and were finalised by the National Assembly a week ago.

Zimbabwe's opposition, weakened by years of repression and tainted elections, charges that the amendments will entrench Zanu-PF's grip on power in the resource-rich nation, which it has governed since independence in 1980.

Mnangagwa -- nicknamed "The Crocodile" because of his ruthlessness -- came to power in 2017 in a military-backed coup that ousted Robert Mugabe at the age of 93 and after 37 years in power.