Rwanda Joins African Trend in Term-Limits Referendum- Paul Kagame the latest African head of state to decide he isn’t quite finished By Heidi Vogt see note please
http://www.wsj.com/articles/rwanda-joins-african-trend-in-term-limits-referendum-1450431980
With the exception of Namibia and Botswana, post colonial Africa, once hailed as the “emerging Continent” is now submerged in tyranny, poverty, human rights abuses, and spreading Islamic jihad….rsk
NAIROBI, Kenya—Rwandan voters are expected on Friday to approve a constitutional amendment that would allow President Paul Kagame to stay in office for nearly two more decades, the latest bid by an African leader to push beyond established term limits.
Mr. Kagame has effectively ruled Rwanda since his rebel force ended the country’s 1994 genocide. The current constitution says his presidential tenure that began in 2000 must end in 2017. Though he hasn’t said outright that he will run again, he has said that the country should follow the will of the people. State media routinely trumpet his popularity.
He is far from alone. Across Africa, constitutions are being revised and elections delayed as a number of heads of state decide they aren’t quite done yet.
“This is the biggest challenge that we have across the continent: the challenge of saying, ‘Yes it’s time for this one to move on,’” said Yolande Bouka, a researcher with South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies whose coverage includes Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.
After Nigerian elections in April that saw an incumbent accept defeat for the first time in the country’s history, many activists hoped that Africa’s largest economy would usher in a new era of democracy on a continent infamous for rigged elections and lifetime presidents.
Instead, a succession of leaders have maneuvered to hold on to power past constitutional term limits. Though Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President Joseph Kabila comes to the end of what should be his final term next year, a government official said in October that elections may need to be delayed by up to four years.
The same month, the president of the smaller Republic of Congo successfully passed a referendum to eliminate a two-term limit.
Rwanda’s neighbor Burundi has been beset by civil unrest and violence since its leader decided to run for a third term in April. More than 300 people have been killed so far in Burundi and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes—all in violence sparked by protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to stay on.
There has been no such similar violence in Rwanda since the constitutional amendment was introduced earlier this year. But rights groups call that a symptom of the repressive nature of Mr. Kagame’s regime.
“Very few Rwandans are willing or able to challenge President Kagame or the ruling party,” said Carina Tertsakian, a researcher for Rwanda and Burundi at Human Rights Watch. Most opponents of the president have moved abroad or been imprisoned. The main opposition party—the Democratic Green Party—unsuccessfully challenged the constitutional amendment in court.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Kagame didn’t respond to requests for comment. Mr. Kagame has repeatedly said he is only responding to the demands of his citizens, as shown by 2010 elections he won with nearly 100% of the vote.
The current constitution limits the president to two seven-year terms. The proposed amendment reduces length of the term to five years and keeps the two-term limit—but allows Mr. Kagame to run in 2017 and twice after that. In all, Mr. Kagame could stay in power through 2034.
The U.S. expressed “concern” about the amendment, saying “We do not support those in positions of power changing constitutions solely for their political self-interest.” The European Union said earlier this month that a constitutional provision that applies to a single individual “undermines the principle of democratic change of government.”
Still, Rwanda poses a more difficult case for the champions of democracy than other autocratic states in Africa. Mr. Kagame’s achievements in Rwanda are visible: more teachers, better health care, paved roads, increasing tourism, streetlights in the capital city. His government banned plastic bags because they turned into unsightly trash; now it is almost impossible to find a plastic bag in Rwanda.
Though Rwanda still depends on foreign aid for more than a third of its budget, the country’s gross domestic product has grown about 8% a year between 2001 and 2014, according to The World Bank.
With Burundi falling apart next door and refugees from the country flooding into Rwanda, it would be understandable for Rwandans to seek stability. But Ms. Tertsakian of Human Rights Watch argued that Rwanda is much less stable than it appears.
“Right now in Rwanda there isn’t violence or unrest in the way that there is in Burundi,” Ms. Tertsakian said. “But how stable can a country be when people are not allowed to speak?”
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