The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged African leaders not to use legal loopholes or undemocratic constitutional changes to “cling to power”, rather, they should respect term-limits.
Ban was addressing a two-day African Union summit in Ethiopia which was attended by African Heads of State, some of whom have been in power for decades, some have changed constitutions to enable them stay in power longer while others are accused of seeking to scrap the term limits.
“Leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. We have all seen the tragic consequences when they do,” Ban told the gathered presidents.
It echoed remarks made by U.S. President Barack Obama in the same AU hall on a trip to Ethiopia in July.
One of the top agenda on the AU summit was the crisis in Burundi, where violence erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza’s successful bid for a controversial third term in office.
“Leaders must protect their people, not themselves,” Ban said. “I commend those leaders who committed to stepping aside and respect constitutional term limits.”
