Addicted to power, leaders hold on whatever the cost

13 August 2015 - 02:04 By The Times Editorial

An astonishing statistic was made public in Rwanda this week. Parliamentarians, who embarked on nationwide consultations on proposed constitutional changes that would allow President Paul Kagame to stand for a third term, found only 10 people opposed to the idea. Rwandans owe much to Kagame, who has led the country since 2003 and whose Rwandan Patriotic Front rebels launched an offensive in 1994 that ended the genocide that killed about 800000 people, mostly Tutsis.Kagame, who has won the past two elections with extraordinarily large majorities, has done more than restore stability - Rwanda has experienced impressive economic growth and technical innovation under his watch.But he has also been accused of silencing the opposition, trampling on human rights and bulldozing the media.Despite his obvious popularity, it defies credulity that only 10 Rwandans are opposed to the constitutional amendment.Kagame's third-term ambitions strike a particularly raw nerve for millions of Africans who have been forced to endure a series of strongmen who have held sway for decades.Is there really no one else in Rwanda who is capable of building on Kagame's legacy?Rwanda's neighbour, Burundi, has been gripped by political upheaval for the past five months as President Pierre Nkurunziza succeeded in bulldozing his way into a third term through a similar constitutional amendment and a successful election.This week, long-serving Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso axed two ministers who were against his seeking a third term. To its credit, the African Union criticised Nkurunziza's electoral ambitions.But such gestures ring hollow when you consider that in January the continental body appointed President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, as its chairman...

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