In his speech, Obama called on heads-of-state to step down at the end of their terms, and cited Nelson Mandela, who sat only one term as South Africa’s president.
Advertisement
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza this month won a third term, even though the country’s parliament voted to preserve the constitutional two-term limit.
Obama made his appeal during an address delivered before African diplomats, investors, scholars and civil society representatives at the African Union’s ultra-modern, Chinese-built headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.
I would just love to see GOP heads exploding if he COULD run.
“I actually think I’m a pretty good president, ” he said. “I’m still a pretty young man but I know that somebody with new energy and insights will be good for my country“. “Especially when they’ve got a lot of money”, he said, drawing a huge cheer.
He said “Nigeria witnessed a democratic transition, ushering in the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari”.
Obama’s connections to Africa garnered oversized expectations for what his tenure as U.S. president would mean for the continent.
In a region that is home to some of the world’s newest tech start-ups and oldest wars, Obama tried to reconcile his abundant hope for Africa’s future with a determination to tell the truth about its challenges, past and present.
The trip has focussed heavily on trade and security, but he also found time in Kenya to meet relatives of his father, including his half-sister Auma.
“I believe Ethiopia will not fully unleash the potential of its people if journalists are restricted or legitimate opposition groups can’t participate in the campaign process”, Obama said. “I can spend time with my family, I can find other ways to serve, I can visit Africa more often”.
Cuba, with which Obama has just reestablished diplomatic relations and where Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to preside over the flag-raising ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Havana on August. 14, is a hereditary military dictatorship run by a general.
In support of the country’s developing tourism industry, President Obama stopped at Bole worldwide Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and visited Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of the Ethiopian Airlines Group. Obama drew the loudest cheers of the day for criticizing African leaders seeking third terms.
Success depends on being willing to discuss “what we need to be doing to fulfill the promise of our founding documents”, he said.
Advertisement
Obama said he’s looking forward to life after the presidency, but received the loudest applause from the audience when he questioned how leaders remain power through force. Even as they await the outcome of the peace process, officials say the US is eying additional economic sanctions and perhaps an arms embargo to ramp up pressure on the warring factions.
