# Leaders in Zimbabwe and Nicaragua Move to Extend Their Grip on Power

Zimbabwe's ruling party pushes to keep President Mnangagwa in office until 2037, while Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega declares an end to elections.

- Published: 2026-07-21T05:13:36.902Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-07-21/leaders-in-zimbabwe-and-nicaragua-move-to-extend-their-grip
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: world
- Sources: [AllAfrica](https://allafrica.com/stories/202607210032.html), [TASS (Russian)](https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/27935509)

Two governments moved on the same day to entrench executive power. In Zimbabwe, days after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed a constitutional amendment into law, the ruling party's Harare province [began pushing](https://allafrica.com/stories/202607210032.html) to extend his tenure beyond 2030 to 2037, according to AllAfrica. The effort would keep him in office well past the term limits that governed his earlier mandates.

In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega [announced](https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/27935509) an end to elections in the republic, according to Russian state outlet TASS, pledging to prevent the right-wing opposition from taking power. The move formalizes a concentration of authority that critics have described for years and that the government presents as protecting the country from its opponents.

The two cases are on different continents but share a common mechanism. Incumbents use control of the constitution and the state to remove the electoral check on their tenure, a pattern that recurs where institutions are weak and opposition is fragmented.

## What this means

The erosion of term limits and elections raises the political risk premium on the affected economies, deterring foreign investment and complicating access to Western financing. The exposed parties are Zimbabwean and Nicaraguan citizens and any investors holding exposure to those states, with the channel running through sanctions risk, weaker rule of law and a shift toward reliance on non-Western partners such as Russia and China that do not condition support on governance.

## What to watch

- Whether Zimbabwe's amendment push clears the party and legal hurdles needed to actually extend the presidency, the test of intent versus capacity.
- How Western governments respond to Nicaragua's announcement, since sanctions or their absence shape which foreign partners fill the gap.