United States President Barack Obama addressed head-on during his visit to Africa one of the continent's biggest stumbling blocks to democratic progress: its history of leaders clinging to power for a years, and even for decades.
In a speech before diplomats from the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday, Obama said African leaders who do not relinquish their posts contribute to the continent's instability.
"Nobody should be president for life," he said in his speech.
At the same time, Obama also said he believes he could secure a third term as president if that was allowed. However, he said the American Constitution prohibits him from doing so.
"I actually think I'm a pretty good president... I think if I ran, I could win. There's a lot that I'd like to do to keep America moving," Obama said extemporaneously, briefly departing from his prepared speech.
"But the law is the law, and no person is above the law, not even the president," he added.
Obama cited the African nation Burundi as an example where violence can reign if leaders do not give way for new leaders.
In Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza recently secured a third term in polls marred by violence and controversy.
"When a leader tries to change the rules in the middle of the game just to stay in office, it risks instability and strife, as we've seen in Burundi," the US president said.
Obama also encouraged Africans to elect leaders who are relatively younger.
"Your country is better off if you have new blood and new ideas. I'm still a pretty young man, but I know that somebody with new energy and new insights will be good for my country. It will be good for yours, too, in some cases," he said.
Obama nevertheless acknowledged in his speech that African nations have undergone "extraordinary progress" in the past years.
