Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa officially approved constitutional amendments on Tuesday that extend his tenure by two years, pushing his term to 2030, according to the government. The revisions also eliminate direct presidential elections—a move that has drawn strong condemnation from opposition leaders in a country where Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF party, led by the 83-year-old president, already controls parliament.

Senior information ministry official Nick Mangwana announced on X, "SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED -- IT'S NOW LAW," alongside a copy of the newly enacted legislation.

The package of changes, which critics have branded a "constitutional coup," includes a provision lengthening both presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years. Another amendment transfers the power to elect the president to parliament, abolishing the direct presidential vote that had been in place since 1987—seven years after the nation gained independence.

The sweeping revisions cleared both parliamentary chambers without difficulty and received final approval from the National Assembly just a week ago.

Zimbabwe's opposition, already weakened by years of repression and disputed elections, argues that the amendments will solidify Zanu-PF's decades-long hold on power in the resource-rich country, which the party has ruled continuously since independence in 1980.

Mnangagwa, known as "The Crocodile" for his reputed ruthlessness, assumed the presidency in 2017 following a military-backed coup that removed Robert Mugabe, then 93, after 37 years in power.