Tom Perriello, U.S. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, called on leaders at the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the importance of respecting presidential term limits. In light of recent violence-filled elections in Burundi and several other elections coming up in the Great Lakes Region over the next 18 months, the international community must continue to uphold the values of fair, timely, and peaceful democratic transitions.
In a recent piece, he wrote:
While we push aggressively for a comprehensive political dialogue amongst all Burundian stakeholders to resolve this crisis, we are keenly aware that several other leaders in the region are facing a similar electoral crossroads as they approach the end of their constitutionally-mandated term limits. Leaders in several countries have a chance to leave a lasting legacy of peaceful transitions of power and help the region turn the corner on decades of instability.
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Photo credit: U.S. Department of State