New Delhi, March 24 -- Zimbabwe released on bail the leading opponent of planned constitutional amendments that would extend the rule of the country's 83-year-old president and have the post elected by Parliament, not the people.

Former finance minister Tendai Biti was granted $500 bail on Monday, ordered to report to the police twice a week, and surrender his passport, his lawyer Chris Ndlovu said. Biti has also been barred from convening or addressing a public gathering without notifying the police as part of the bail conditions.

It's the highest profile detention yet of critics of the attempt to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his rule, due to end in 2028, by two years. Police in recent months have banned meetings and ar...