The President of Tanzania, John Magufuli has rejected appeals from his supporters to extend his term limit beyond the two terms of five years stipulated in the country’s constitution.
On Monday Mr. Magufuli said he will respect the constitution and the term limit placed on the tenure of a president.
This is seen by many analysts as a sharp contrast to what usually happens elsewhere on the continent where Presidents claim to be heeding to calls from citizens to extend their stay in office by changing the constitution.
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Magufuli told supporters calling for him to stay longer in office that “It’s impossible. I will respect the constitution.”
A member of the ruling CCM party had called for an extension of president Magufuli’s rule to at least 20 years.
A former president of the country, Ali Hassan Mwinyi who himself served only two terms from 1985 to 1995, was the first prominent person to moot the idea in June for Magufuli to stay in power longer.
Mwinyi said “If it wasn’t for term limits, I would have suggested that Magufuli should be our president for eternity.”
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Magufuli in reaction to these calls said “I have sworn to defend the constitution … I shall play my part and pass on the leadership reins to the next president when the time comes.”
Elected in 2015 for his first term of five years, Magufuli should he declare to run again in 2020 will then no longer be eligible to run in 2025 due to the term limit.
Source: Africafeeds.com
