Hollande says Burkina coup 'a lesson' to African leaders

Paris (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande said Thursday the ouster of Burkina Faso president Blaise Compaore should serve as a lesson to others seeking to cling to power on the continent.

Hollande addressed the issue of leaders trying to overstay their welcome in a wide-ranging interview with French media, ahead of a summit of French-speaking leaders in Dakar on Saturday.

He said a popular revolt which ousted Compaore in October, sparked by his bid to extend his 27-year hold on power, was "a sign that Africans are committed to democracy and constitutional order.

"I think this could serve as a lesson, to many heads of state, and not only in Africa, not to change the constitutional order out of personal interest," said Hollande.

Burkina Faso's military seized power after Compaore's ouster, and new ruler Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida has vowed to carry out reforms in the west African nation.

Hollande called for continued "respect of constitutional order during the transition."

Many African presidents have tried, and often succeeded, to stay in power by reforming their countries' constitutions to get rid of limits on the number of presidential terms.

Before Compaore it was Senegal's octogenarian Abdoulaye Wade whose bid for a controversial third term sparked deadly protests in Dakar. However, proving they would not stand for it, the Senegalese roundly voted in his arch-rival Macky Sall.

Chad, Cameroon, Gabon and Togo all now allow their leaders to keep running for office as long as they like.

Meanwhile the presidents of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo are accused by opposition parties of seeking to modify or get round their countries' constitutions to seek another term.

Hollande kicks off his trip to Africa in Guinea, making him the first Western leader to travel to a country hit hard by the deadly Ebola virus.