U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that democracy in Africa was threatened when presidents did not stand aside at the end of constitutional term limits and pointed to violence in Burundi where the president has secured a third term.
“When a leader tries to change the rules in the middle of the game just to stay in office, it risks instability and strife, as we’ve seen in Burundi,” he said in the text of a speech delivered at the African Union.
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza secured a third term in an election this month that the United States said was not credible. Other African leaders are also pushing to extend their terms beyond constitutional limits.
