Editing Term limit (section)

==History==
===Europe===
{{See also|Term limits in France|Term limits in Russia}}
Term limits date back to [[Ancient Greece]] and the [[Roman Republic]], as well as the [[Republic of Venice]].<ref name="O'Keefe">{{cite encyclopedia |last=O'Keefe |first= Eric |author-link=Eric O'Keefe (political activist) | editor-first=Ronald |editor-last=Hamowy |editor-link=Ronald Hamowy |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yxNgXs3TkJYC  |year=2008 |publisher= [[SAGE Publishing|SAGE]]; [[Cato Institute]] |location= Thousand Oaks, CA |doi=10.4135/9781412965811.n308 |isbn= 978-1-4129-6580-4 |oclc=750831024| lccn = 2008009151 |pages= 504–06 |quote=... Political scientist Mark Petracca has outlined the importance of rotation in the ancient Republics of Athens, Rome, Venice, and Florence. The Renaissance city-state of Venice [also] required rotation....|chapter= Term Limits |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In ancient [[Athenian democracy]], many officeholders were limited to a single term. [[Boule (ancient Greece)|Council members]] were allowed a maximum of two terms. The position of [[Strategos]] could be held for an indefinite number of terms.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=18}} In the Roman Republic, a law was passed imposing a limit of a single term on the office of [[Roman censor|censor]]. The annual [[Roman magistrate|magistrates]], including the [[tribune of the plebs]], the [[aedile]], the [[quaestor]], the [[praetor]], and the [[Roman consul|consul]], were forbidden reelection until a number of years had passed.<ref>[[Robert Struble Jr.]], ''Treatise on Twelve Lights'', chapter six, part II, [http://www.tell-usa.org/totl/06-Rotation%20&%20other%20reforms.htm#Part_2 "Rotation in History."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411104723/http://www.tell-usa.org/totl/06-Rotation%20%26%20other%20reforms.htm |date=11 April 2016 }}</ref> The office of [[Roman dictator|dictator]] was nearly unrestricted with the exception that it was limited to a single six-month term. Successive Roman leaders weakened this restriction until [[Julius Caesar]] became a perpetual dictator and ended the republic.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|pp=20-21}}

Term limits returned in medieval Europe through the [[Novgorod Republic]], the [[Pskov Republic]], the [[Republic of Genoa]], and the [[Republic of Florence]].{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=22}}

The first modern constitutional term limit was established in the [[French First Republic]] by the [[Constitution of the Year III|Constitution of 1795]], which established five-year terms to the [[French Directory]] and banned consecutive terms. [[Napoleon]] ended the practice of term limits in 1799 in much the same way as Julius Caesar had.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=23}} The [[French Constitution of 1848]] reestablished term limits, but this was abolished by Napoleon's nephew, [[Napoleon III]].{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|pp=29-30}}

Many post-Soviet republics established presidential systems with five-year term limits after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=34}} The [[President of Russia]] is allowed a maximum of two consecutive terms, but the [[2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia]] reset incumbent president [[Vladimir Putin]]'s term count, allowing him to stand for two additional terms.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 July 2020 |title=Putin orders constitution changes allowing him to rule until 2036 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/7/3/putin-orders-constitution-changes-allowing-him-to-rule-until-2036 |access-date=31 August 2023 |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> The [[President of Belarus]] was limited to two terms, but the limit was abolished in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 October 2004 |title=Controversial Belarus vote scraps term limits |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6276009 |access-date=31 August 2023 |publisher=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

=== United States ===
{{Main|Term limits in the United States}}
A predecessor of modern term limits in the Americas dates back to the 1682 Pennsylvania Charter of Liberties and the colonial [[Frame of Government of Pennsylvania|frame of government]] of the same year, authored by [[William Penn]] and providing for triennial rotation of the [[Pennsylvania Provincial Council|Provincial Council]], the upper house of the [[Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly|colonial legislature]].<ref>Francis N. Thorpe, ed., ''The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and other Organic Laws''..., 7 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1909) 5:3048, 3055–56, 3065.</ref> [[President of the United States|Presidents of the United States]] typically honored an informal tradition of only serving two terms in office, but this limit was not enshrined into law until the [[Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution|22nd Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] was ratified in 1951 after [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] had been elected to an unprecedented third and fourth terms.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Buckley |first1=F.H. |last2=Metzger |first2=Gillian |title=Twenty-Second Amendment |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/amendment-xxii/interps/149 |access-date=28 March 2022 |website=Constitution Center}}</ref>

=== Latin America ===
As the countries of [[Latin America]] modeled presidential republics after the government of the United States in the 19th century, they established term limits for their presidents based on the two-term precedent of the United States. However, the implementation of legislative term limits in Latin America, while intended to foster elite renewal, occurs in a region already characterized by exceptionally high rates of legislative turnover (around 70% on average between 1985 and 2023), significantly higher than in Europe and other democratic regions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kouba |first=Karel |last2=Weiss |first2=Michael |date=2025-03-07 |title=Legislative Turnover in Latin America: Introducing a New Dataset and Analyzing Its Temporal Dynamics |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/latin-american-politics-and-society/article/legislative-turnover-in-latin-america-introducing-a-new-dataset-and-analyzing-its-temporal-dynamics/1B49BF322BD05C816D98CF1B5476039D |journal=Latin American Politics and Society |language=en |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1017/lap.2024.56 |issn=1531-426X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In response to presidents overstaying their term, some of these term limits were eventually replaced by a limit of one term without reelection.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|pp=25-27}}

In Mexico, [[Porfirio Díaz]] evaded term limits, running for eight terms before being forced into exile in 1911. A new constitution in 1917 established a one term limit. After [[Álvaro Obregón]] violated this law and ran for a second term, he was assassinated.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|pp=28-29}} Currently, members of the [[Congress of Mexico]] cannot be reelected consecutively under article 50 and 59 of the [[Constitution of Mexico]], and the [[President of Mexico]] is limited to a single six-year term, called the [[Sexenio (Mexico)|sexenio]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The [[President of Argentina]] was limited to one consecutive six-year term, but the [[Constitution of Argentina]] was amended in 1994, loosening the term limit to a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

In 1997, the [[Constitution of Brazil]] was amended, loosening the term limit for the [[President of Brazil]] from one five-year term to two four-year terms.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

In 2004, the term limit for the [[President of Colombia]] was increased from one term to two terms before reverting to one term in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forero |first=Javier |date=2021-03-25 |title=¿Cuántas veces se puede reelegir un Presidente en Colombia? |url=https://www.eltiempo.com/politica/gobierno/cuantas-veces-se-puede-reelegir-un-presidente-en-colombia-576108 |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=El Tiempo |language=spanish}}</ref>

The [[2009 Venezuelan constitutional referendum]] abolished term limits in Venezuela.<ref name="BBC 16/2">{{cite news |date=16 February 2009 |title=Venezuelan leader wins key reform |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7891856.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221223059/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7891856.stm |archive-date=21 February 2009 |access-date=16 February 2009 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

A 2024 study found that Costa Rica’s new mayoral term limits modestly increased competition but had little impact on turnout.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kouba |first=Karel |date=2024-07-01 |title=Understanding the effect of term limits on voter turnout: Evidence from a quasi-experiment in Costa Rica based on a registered report |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20531680241266899 |journal=Research & Politics |language=EN |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=20531680241266899 |doi=10.1177/20531680241266899 |issn=2053-1680|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Asia ===
Following the [[1911 Revolution]], [[Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet]] [[Yuan Shikai]] became the second [[President of the Republic of China]]. He was initially subject to a maximum of two five-year terms, but the term was then lengthened to ten years and the term limit was removed.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

In 1948, the [[Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion]] abolished the term limit for the President of the Republic of China and established [[Chiang Kai-shek]] as the country's military leader. The term limit was restored after the provisions were repealed in 1991.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

The [[President of South Korea]] was initially permitted to serve a maximum of two four-year terms when the office was created in 1948, but the term limit was removed in 1954 so that [[Syngman Rhee]] could run for a third term. After Rhee was elected to a fourth term, the [[First Republic of Korea]] was overthrown. The two term limit was restored, but it was expanded to three terms in 1969 and abolished again in 1972. A one seven-year term limit was established in 1981, which was reduced to five years in 1988.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Under the original [[Constitution of Indonesia]], there were no presidential or vice-presidential term limits, but since the first amendment in 1999 holders of both offices are limited to two terms each.

The Philippines established term limits following independence from the United States, but they were abolished by [[Ferdinand Marcos]] in the 1970s.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=31}} Term limits were restored in the 1987 [[Constitution of the Philippines|constitution]], after Marcos was deposed in the [[People Power Revolution]]. The President is limited to one six-year term.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guiang |first=Jules |date=2021-04-03 |title=[OPINION] Term limits and the rise of the Duterte dynasty |url=https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/opinion-term-limits-rise-duterte-dynasty/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=RAPPLER |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=de Guzman |first=Chad |date=2024-02-28 |title=Philippines' Marcos Floats 2025 Vote on Constitutional Reform: What to Know |url=https://time.com/6835896/philippines-marcos-constitution-amend-charter-change-plan-controversy/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |magazine=TIME |language=en |quote=Currently, Presidents in the Philippines are limited to one, six-year term.}}</ref>

Between 1982 and 2018, the [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China|Constitution of China]] stipulated that the [[President of the People's Republic of China|president]], [[Vice President of the People's Republic of China|vice president]], [[Premier of the People's Republic of China|premier]] and [[Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China|vice premiers]] could not serve more than two consecutive terms, though there was no term limit for the [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]], who usually represented the [[paramount leader]] of China. In March 2018, the [[National People's Congress]] passed a set of constitutional amendments, including abolishing the term limits for the president and vice president, as well as enhancing the central role of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), allowing [[Leader of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP leader]] [[Xi Jinping]] to continue as paramount leader indefinitely.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Shi |first1=Jiangtao |last2=Huang |first2=Kristin |date=26 February 2018 |title=End to term limits at top 'may be start of global backlash for China' |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2134791/end-term-limits-top-may-be-start-global-backlash-china |url-status=live |access-date=28 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227155138/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2134791/end-term-limits-top-may-be-start-global-backlash-china |archive-date=27 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Tom |date=4 March 2018 |title=Xi Jinping's power play: from president to China's new dictator? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/04/xi-jinping-from-president-to-china-new-dictator |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304005848/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/04/xi-jinping-from-president-to-china-new-dictator |archive-date=4 March 2018 |access-date=4 March 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

The [[President of Tajikistan]] was initially limited to one five-year term under the 1994 [[Constitution of Tajikistan]]. This was increased to one seven-year term in 1999 and to two seven-year terms in 2003. The term limit was reset for President [[Emomali Rahmon]] in 2006, and the term limit was abolished in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |author=Konstantin Parshin |date=23 April 2013 |title=Tajikistan: Can Rahmon Keep Running? |website=Eurasianet |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66869 |access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leonard |first=Peter |date=23 May 2016 |title=Tajikistan vote allows president to rule indefinitely |url=https://apnews.com/article/36378064b5a64d059d6b7c87478e3ed9 |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]] was limited to one five-year term until the limit was abolished in 2011.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

The [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong|Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia]] is subjected to a term limit. Once elected, he is only allowed to serve for a single five-year term and cannot renew for a second term consecutively. This rule makes [[Malaysia]] among two [[constitutional monarchy|constitutional monarchies]] in the world that is subjected to a term limit, the other being [[Andorra]] (with the [[President of France]] serving as one of its [[Co-princes of Andorra|co-princes]]).{{fact|date=May 2025}}

=== Sub-Saharan Africa ===
Liberia briefly limited its presidents to an eight-year term between 1944 and 1951.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=30}} As the countries of sub-Saharan Africa were [[Decolonisation of Africa|decolonised]] in the mid-20th century, most of the new governments established presidential systems, but term limits were rarely established. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Rwanda, and Togo were the only countries to establish them, but they were abolished soon afterward.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=30}} After the [[Revolutions of 1989|collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989-90]] and ensuing wave of democratization in Eastern Europe, many African engaged in similar political democratizations and established term limits.{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=32}}

The [[President of Uganda]] was limited to two five-year terms in 1995. President [[Yoweri Museveni]] had previously served two terms, but these were not counted toward the new two term limit. The term limit was abolished in 2005, allowing Museveni to continue as president.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

In Kenya, the [[2010 constitution]] limits the president to a maximum of two five-year terms just like county governors. Before the promulgation of the 2010 constitution, term limits did not exist. The first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta ruled for 15 years and died in office. His vice president, Daniel Moi took over in 1978 and ruled for 24 years before [[Mwai Kibaki]] took over. Kibaki ruled for ten years, in a tenure that was characterized by major political reforms leading to the 2010 constitution. Immediate former President [[Uhuru Kenyatta]] was the first president under the new law, a position he served for two terms of 5 years each and was succeeded by his deputy [[William Ruto]] in September 2022. A member of President Ruto's [[United Democratic Alliance (Kenya)|United Democratic Alliance]] party revealed plans to scrap the term limits on 7 November 2022 but the leadership dismissed him saying that was his personal opinion which he was entitled to.

The [[Constitution of Nigeria|1999 constitution of Nigeria]] limits the President at the Federal level, and Governors at the state level to serving two four-year terms. This has been strictly followed since 1999.

The [[Constitution of Niger|2010 constitution of Niger]] limited the President to two five-year terms. [[Mahamadou Issoufou]] was the only president to step down after being term limited.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-02 |title=Niger inaugurates president in 1st democratic power transfer |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-8ac9e1c7a2c62bfe8395d966b8199888 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

In Sub-Saharan Africa, only South Africa (since 1994) Ghana (since 1993), Kenya (since 1964), and Nigeria (since 1999) have experienced a [[peaceful transition of power]] from one president to another after the expiry of term limits. Some countries have either scrapped the requirement or do not have it in their laws.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

=== Middle East and North Africa ===
The [[2019 Egyptian constitutional referendum]] included amendments to expand the presidential term from four to six years and allow President [[Abdel Fattah el-Sisi]] to stand for a third term over the constitutional limit of two terms.<ref name="BBC2">{{cite web |date=16 April 2019 |title=Egypt constitutional changes could mean Sisi rule until 2030 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-47947035 |access-date=17 April 2019 |work=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

Term limits were one of the major demands of protesters during the [[Arab Spring]].{{Sfn|Baturo|2014|p=1}}