Europe Term limits appear to originate in Europe. They date back to
Ancient Greece and the
Roman Republic, as well as the
Republic of Venice. In ancient
Athenian democracy, many officeholders were limited to a single term.
Council members were allowed a maximum of two terms. The position of
Strategos could be held for an indefinite number of terms. In the Roman Republic, a law was passed imposing a limit of a single term on the office of
censor. The annual
magistrates, including the
tribune of the plebs, the
aedile, the
quaestor, the
praetor, and the
consul, were forbidden reelection until a number of years had passed. The office of
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. Term limits returned in medieval Europe through the
Novgorod Republic, the
Pskov Republic, the
Republic of Genoa, and the
Republic of Florence. Similar to the
Italian city-states, Novgorod had a
mixed government, in which executive power was shared between the elected prince and the elected
posadnik (mayor), whose authority increased over time. In the mid-14th century, the office of
posadnik consisted of six executives elected for life; from among them, a chairman was elected for a one-year term and later a six-month term from the early 15th century. Another Russian
oligarchic republic, Pskov, elected
posadniki until it was annexed by
Moscow in 1510. In Genoa, the
doge was elected for a single two-year term from 1528 to 1798. In Florence, power was vested in the executive council and members were elected for two-month terms. The first modern constitutional term limit was established in the
French First Republic by the
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. The
French Constitution of 1848 reestablished term limits, but this was abolished by Napoleon's nephew,
Napoleon III. Many
post-Soviet republics established
presidential systems with five-year term limits after the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The
president of Russia is allowed a maximum of two consecutive terms, but the
2020 constitutional amendments reset incumbent president
Vladimir Putin's term count, allowing him to stand for two additional terms. The
president of Belarus was limited to two terms, but the limit was abolished in 2004 under
Alexander Lukashenko. The
president of the European Commission has no term limit.
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 the same year, authored by
William Penn and providing for triennial rotation of the
Provincial Council, the upper house of the
colonial legislature.
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
22nd Amendment to the
Constitution was ratified in 1951 after
Franklin D. Roosevelt had been elected to an unprecedented third and fourth terms.
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. In response to presidents overstaying their term, some of these term limits were eventually replaced by a limit of one term without reelection. 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. 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. The
President of Argentina was limited to one six-year term, until 1994 when the
Constitution of Argentina was amended, changing the term limit to a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. 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. 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. The
2009 Venezuelan constitutional referendum abolished term limits in Venezuela. A 2024 study found that Costa Rica's new mayoral term limits modestly increased competition but had little impact on turnout. In 2025, the
Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved a constitutional reform that extended terms of the
President of El Salvador to six years, as well as abolishing term limits; the change will go into effect following the
2027 presidential election.
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. 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. 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. 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. Term limits were restored in the 1987
constitution, after Marcos was deposed in the
People Power Revolution. The President is limited to one six-year term. Between 1982 and 2018, the
Constitution of China stipulated that the
president,
vice president,
premier and
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
constitutional amendment which abolished the term limits for the president and vice president, as well as enhancing the central role of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP), allowing CCP General Secretary
Xi Jinping to continue as paramount leader and president indefinitely. 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. The
Prime Minister of Pakistan was limited to one five-year term until the limit was abolished in 2011. The
King of Malaysia is subjected to a single five-year non-consecutive term, which rotates among the
monarchs of Malaysia. This rule makes
Malaysia among two
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). In February 2026, the
Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 was tabled to the Parliament of Malaysia, seeking to limit the
Prime Minister's term in office to an aggregate total of 10 years. It however failed to secure two-third majority support at the
lower house by merely two votes when it was put up for vote in March 2026.
Sub-Saharan Africa Liberia briefly limited its presidents to an eight-year term between 1944 and 1951. As the countries of sub-Saharan Africa were
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. After the
revolutions of 1989 and ensuing wave of democratization in Eastern Europe, many African states moved to remove
one-party regimes and establish term limits. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 14 countries have experienced a
peaceful transition of power from one president to another after the expiration of term limits. Some countries have either scrapped the requirement or do not have it in their laws. Term limits for the
President of Gabon were abolished under
Omar Bongo in 2003, allowing him to continue as president indefinitely. Bongo
died in office in June 2009. A two-term limit was reintroduced in 2024. 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. In Kenya, the
2010 constitution limits the president to a maximum of two five-year terms just like county governors.
Daniel arap Moi was the first Kenyan president to be barred from running for re-election in
2002. His successor
Mwai Kibaki was president for ten years, in a tenure that was characterized by major political reforms leading to the 2010 constitution.
Uhuru Kenyatta was the first president under the new law, a position he served for two terms of 5 years each until was succeeded by his deputy
William Ruto in September 2022. A member of President Ruto's
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
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 the end of military rule in 1999. The
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.
Middle East and North Africa Term limits were one of the major demands of protesters during the
Arab Spring. 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. ==Mechanism==