Zimbabwe court frees firebrand opposition figure on bail

A Zimbabwean court on Monday granted bail to opposition leader Tendai Biti after a weekend in detention despite government moves to quash resistance to controversial constitutional changes to extend the president's term and have him elected by parliament instead of a popular vote.

Biti, a former finance minister and lawyer who heads the Constitution Defenders Forum, was arrested on Saturday near the Mozambique border alongside activist Morgan Ncube.

They were charged with convening a public meeting without notifying authorities.

The magistrate's court in Harare granted each a $500 bail and ordered them to report to the police every two weeks, Biti's lawyer, Chris Ndlovu, said.

The southern African country faces rising political tensions over the law change backed by the ruling ZANU-PF party that could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule beyond 2028.

Mnangagwa, 83, came to power in 2017 following a military intervention that forced long-time leader Robert Mugabe to resign after nearly four decades in power. He was later elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2023.

The constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms.

The amendments, which seek to move the president's election from universal suffrage to a vote by parliament, have been approved by the cabinet.

Critics to the changes have told AFP they have been tortured, intimidated and abducted by suspected state agents.

They accuse ZANUâ€'PF -- in power since independence in 1980 -- of failing to tackle deep economic problems or shake off accusations of corruption and repression.