Term Limits and Lengths of Heads of Government
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Term limits, a legal restriction on the number of terms a leader can serve in their office, prevent one person from holding power too long, ensuring fresh leadership and regular democratic turnover.
This visualization shows the term limits and lengths of heads of government in various major countries.
Data comes from Wikipedia and various government websites.
Types of Term Limits
Term limits can be categorized as lifetime term limits or consecutive term limits, as defined below:
- Lifetime term limits: Prevent an individual from holding the same office for more than a set number of terms, regardless of any breaks between terms.
- Consecutive term limits: Prevent an individual from holding the same office for more than a set number of terms back-to-back. They may run for office again after a break.
- No term limits: No legal restriction on the number of terms a leader can serve. (In many parliamentary countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia, leaders must retain their party’s support and parliamentary confidence to stay in power.)
How Long Can Heads of Government Serve?
Below, we show the term limits and term lengths of various heads of government around the world.
| Type of Term Limit | Country | Term Limit for World Leader | Election Cycle/Term Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime |  United States |
2 terms | 4 years |
| Lifetime |  South Korea |
1 term | 5 years |
| Lifetime |  South Africa |
2 terms | 5 years |
| Lifetime |  Russia |
2 terms | 6 years |
| Consecutive |  Brazil |
2 consecutive | 4 years |
| Consecutive |  France |
2 consecutive | 5 years |
| No term limit |  Australia |
No term limits | 3 years |
| No term limit |  Canada |
No term limits | 4 years |
| No term limit |  Germany |
No term limits | 4 years |
| No term limit |  Japan |
No term limits | 4 years |
| No term limit |  China |
No term limits | 5 years |
| No term limit |  India |
No term limits | 5 years |
| No term limit |  Italy |
No term limits | 5 years (parliamentary elections) |
| No term limit |  United Kingdom |
No term limits | 5 years |
Removing or extending term limits, as seen with China’s Xi Jinping in 2018, helps incumbents consolidate power indefinitely.
Besides Xi Jinping, other world leaders have sought to extend their time in office by amending rules around term limits, such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
In 2020, Putin implemented several constitutional amendments, including changing Russia’s two-term limit from consecutive to lifetime, while also resetting his term count to zero. This allowed him to run and win reelection in 2024, and gives him the option to do so again in 2030, potentially extending his presidency until 2036.
Putin is already among the longest-serving world leaders, with 25 total years in power. He has served as the president or prime minister of Russia since 2000.
In comparison, the U.S. imposes a strict lifetime two-term limit on its president, but some Trump loyalists are pushing to amend the constitution to allow a third term for Trump.
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To learn more about heads of government around the world, check out this graphic that visualizes the newest approval ratings of world leaders in 24 countries around the world.
The post Visualizing Term Limits of Heads of Government Around the World appeared first on Visual Capitalist.
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