Open AccessPresidential Tenure and Constitutional Provisions: Recent Evidence from Central Africa
Author(s) -
Mark Dawson,
Daniel J. Young
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
afrikaspectrum/africa spectrum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1868-6869
pISSN - 0002-0397
DOI - 10.1177/0002039720980457
Subject(s) - presidential system , democracy , political science , limiting , constitutional law , law , politics , development economics , political economy , sociology , economics , mechanical engineering , engineering
Constitutions around Africa have been repeatedly tested on the issue of presidential term limits. We explore the four most recent cases of African presidents facing the end of their constitutionally mandated limit, all of which developed in Central Africa. Burundi, Rwanda, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo all adopted constitutions limiting presidential tenure to two terms; yet, in 2015, when these limits were approaching, none of the sitting presidents simply stood down. Our analysis focuses on the constitutional provisions meant to protect the two-term limit, the strategies employed by each of the four presidents, and the difficulty they faced in pursuing extended tenure. We find that constitutional provisions do constrain, but not always to the expected degree. Our analysis adds a consideration of a foundational constitutional factor to the growing literature on term limits in Africa, with implications for other regions of newly developing democracies.