Togo, Gambia oppose term limit for W’African presidents

An official of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said that Togo and Gambia were the countries who blocked attempts to limit presidential terms in West Africa during the commission’s summit in Accra, capital of Ghana.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said John Mahama, outgoing ECOWAS chairman and Ghana’s president, tabled the motion for a regional policy to prohibit presidents from staying in office for more than two terms in a row.

The official said the motion was dropped after Togo and Gambia, whose leaders have both been in office for more than two terms, opposed the plan.

Togolese president Faure Gnassingbe won a third term last month, while Gambian president Yahya Jammeh has been in power since 1994.

Presidential term limits remain a hot topic across Africa.

The official said it was the violent unrest in Burundi, where people have been protesting against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for seeking a third term during elections scheduled for June 26, which prompted the debate.

Last year, President Blaise Compaore’s attempt to seek an unconstitutional third term caused a massive popular uprising in West Africa’s Burkina Faso, forcing him to flee the country.