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UN chief urges African leaders not cling to power

United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, center-right, walks past a wall of photos of African leaders from the past, at the annual African Union (AU) summit, held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. African leaders Friday appointed 90-year-old Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled his country since 1980, as the new chairman of the 54-nation African Union, succeeding Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. (AP Photo)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, center-right, walks past a wall of photos of African leaders from the past, at the annual African Union (AU) summit, held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. African leaders Friday appointed 90-year-old Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled his country since 1980, as the new chairman of the 54-nation African Union, succeeding Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. (AP Photo)

By Associated Press 2 min read

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – The U.N. secretary-general Friday urged African leaders not to cling to power.

Ban Ki-moon said undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes should never be used by leaders to stay in power.

Speaking at the summit of the 54-nation African Union, Ban urged African leaders to listen to their people saying that modern leaders cannot ignore the wishes of those they represent.

Some African leaders have been in power for decades after altering their countries’ constitutions to extend their tenures in office. Recently Congo passed a law that requiring a national census before elections could be held. The law sparked off violent protests in which dozens were killed as critics accused President Joseph Kabila, who has been president since 2001, of attempting to prolong his stay in office.

Burkina Faso’s president of 27 years, Blaise Compaore, stepped down in October amid mounting opposition to his bid to seek yet another term in office.