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| Boni Yayi |
Benin’s President Thomas Boni Yayi is bent
on stepping down after two terms, out of “respect” for the constitution which
bars him from seeking reelection in 2016, he told AFP.
“To each his convictions. Mine are to
respect… my country’s constitution,” he said during an official visit to Paris.
Boni Yayi’s decision not to try extend his
rule sets him apart from many African leaders, such as Republic of Congo’s
President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Uganda’s Yoweri
Museveni, all of whom have been in power for decades.
In Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza’s
successful quest for a third term in elections held in July, despite a dispute
over whether he was eligible to run again – plunged the country into violence
unseen since the country’s 1993-2006 civil war.
Boni Yayi, who has been hailed by his
French counterpart Francois Hollande as a paragon of democracy in Africa,
refused to criticise his contemporaries, saying: “Each country has its
specificities.”
“There are heads of state who work, who
have launched major projects, who are loved by the people and who have used
democratic methods to (revise) their constitution.”
“I don’t have a lesson to impart, I don’t
want to criticise anyone,” added the 63-year-old, who was first elected in 2006
and voted in again five years later.
Benin has gone through three smooth
democratic transition since 1990 when the nation’s communist dictatorship fell.
Presidential elections are due again in
February, and there had been some concern that Boni Yayi would try and amend
the constitution to stand again on behalf of his FCBE party.
As yet the party has not chosen a
candidate.
Boni Yayi said discussions were still
ongoing and that the party’s nominee would be announced “soon”.
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