# Entrenchment of Executive Power

Incumbents in fragile states keep using constitutional and institutional control to remove electoral limits on their tenure, pushing those economies toward higher political risk and closer alignment with non-Western patrons.

- Conviction: 40 / 100 (forming)
- Horizon: Emerging (watchlist)
- Tracking since: 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Last updated: 2026-07-21T14:00:02.469Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/trends/strongman-term-entrenchment
- Publisher: Polylog
- Affected regions: Africa

## Recent evidence

- [confirms] Leaders in Zimbabwe and Nicaragua Move to Extend Their Grip on Power (2026-07-21): Zimbabwe's ruling party moved to keep Mnangagwa in office until 2037 while Nicaragua's Ortega declared an end to elections, two simultaneous cases of incumbents using institutional control to remove electoral limits and raise those states' political-risk profile.