Third Termism In Africa: Drawing Lessons & Heeding Warnings

Source: African Centre For Strategic Studies

Phenomenon of Third Termism
Prolonging or extending Presidential term limits is a *growing phenomenon in Africa* at odds with the continent's efforts to forge a governance culture rooted in democracy and constitutionalism.This growing but worrying phenomenon poses dangers to the governance fabric of Africa.

Possible Causes
A number of reasons have been advanced forward to explain why African leaders are failing to peacefully hand over power when their mandatory terms come to an end. Among such reasons are;

i) abuse of state resources and fear of prosecution.

ii) no strong opposition.
iii) lack of succession plan.
iv) deliberate refusal to step down because of despotic and kleptocratic tendencies.

v) addiction to resources and power.
vi) According to Arah, (2023) certain African culture which do not push a leader out once in power.

"akula langa eliphumayo elinye lingaka tshoni" _Zulu/Ndebele_ _hakuna zuva rinobuda rimwe risati ranyura_ Shona... meaning, no sun (another leader) rises when the other has not set (incumbent leader ).

Likely Dangers
1. Undermining existence of democracy and constitutionalism

2. Undermining efforts to demand accountability.

3. Promoting personalized politics.
4. Promoting family dynasties in African politics.

5. Challenges peaceful transition of power from one leader to the next leader, from one admnstration to the next admnstration.

6. It leads to avoidable, unnecessary political upheavals tensions & crises.

Political Upheavals, Tensions & Crisis

Seeking of Third Terms by incumbent Presidents, as recent history in Africa has time and again shown, is fraught with many challenges which in some cases has resulted in coups or significant political upheavals, tensions or crises.

Practical Examples
BURKINA FASO 2014
The then Burkinaba President Blaise Campaore attempted to extend his term in 2014 and Ouagadougou exploded into a popular uprising,resulting in the eventual resignation of President Campaore.

BURUNDI 2015
In 2015 President Pierre Nkurinziza of Burundi secured a constitutional interpretation by the Constitutional Court to run for a third term, after his proposed constitutional amendment to allow a third term was defeated in the Senate.

ZIMBABWE 2017
President Robert Mugabe's perceived attempt to subvert the constitution and place his wife in the line of succession proved fatal. This effectively brought his long 37 year rule to an end.What followed was bloodless coup in Harare.This coup eventually led to his resignation.

COMOROS 2018
In July 2018, President Azali Assouman of Comoros dissolved the Constitutional Court and Parliament and organised a referendum extending term limits and the inter-island rotational presidency. In March 2019, he ran and won another term in an election that the (AU) refused to endorse.

CHAD 2018
A coup was ignited in N'Djamena by President Idriss Deby's attempt to modify the constitution to allow for a third term.

SUDAN 2019
President Omar al Bashir's attempt to extend his term led to widespread protest in Khartoum.Later on,Al Bashir was ousted from power.g

EGYPT 2019
In 2019, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, by then the chair of the African Union (AU) Assembly, led the adoption of a constitutional amendment through a referendum in April 2019, paving the way for him to run again.

UGANDA 2005 & 2019
In 2019, the Ugandan Supreme Court upheld at constitutional amendment removing age limits on the presidency allowing the ageing President Yoweri Museveni to extend his more-than-three-decade reign. The age limit was the last remaining hurdle after Museveni orchestrated the removal of presidential term limits in 2005.

MALI 2020
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's attempt to extend his term was fatal .What followed was a military coup in Bamako.l which ousted him from power.

GUINEA_ CONAKRY 2020
Conakry went up in widespread protests when President Alpha Conde made a decision to seek Third Term in 2020..which later led to a military coup in 2021.

TOGO 2025
From 26 to 28 June, 2025, Togo was engulfed in an orgy of violence after demonstrations erupted in Lome. Anger against economic state of affairs as well as President Faure Gnassingbe's declaration of his intention to rule forever by scrapping away presidential term ilimits...was the last straw... which saw an incensed population invading the streets in the most irate fashion.

THIRD TERMS IN AFRICA
Time and again, African realities has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that Third Terms or seeking of Third Terms by incumbent national office bearers is an unpredictable, dangerous and destabilizing path.It creates political tensions, upheavals, crisises and even bloodshed through civil strife, conflicts and wars. Attention, thrust & focus is taken away from real development issues which Africa & Africans are crying for and badly in need of.The undeniable fact is that some of African problems can be avoided if Africa respect and stick to office Term Limits.

Offcourse, another argument is that, constitutional changes or extending the terms of the President can be done within the confines of the law but Africa should always remember that;

"though it is within the confines of the law to amend a constitution, but Africa should guard against *unconstitutional constitutional amendments* which tears the basic fabric of a constitution and mutilates its basic scheme"

Conclusion
All the above practical examples serve as a *lesson as well as a warning* about the risks associated with civilian Presidents seeking Third Terms especially in Africa, which has in most cases resulted in unfortunate political tensions, instability, political upheavals and even coups. And by any meausure this is not good for Africa development. AFRICAN LEADERS/ PRESIDENTS SHOULD STICK TO TERM LIMITS.

F. Madondo (African Teacher)
[email protected]
Reference
Arah, M. (2023) Third Termism in Africa: View from the African Cultural Lenses. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 11, 41-55.