In Africa, no other constitutional provision has come under similar attack as the one that limits the terms of office of the President. Though incumbent Presidents have by and large formally respected such constitutional limitations, many have nonetheless successfully utilized various techniques to circumvent them. In turn, constitutional drafters have looked for design options to prevent term limit evasion more effectively. As a result, presidential term limit provisions are increasingly drafted to be immutable i.e. constitutionally immune to amendment. Relevant country studies illustrate the current rather ambivalent practical effect of this legal technique. While immutable clauses occasionally have only added another level of complexity to the creative strategies Presidents must play to circumvent term limits, they have also exposed remaining but remediable deficiencies in constitutional design efforts to tame rule by law-abiding incumbents.
We look forward to welcoming you on July 3-5, 2023 for our Annual Conference entitled "Islands and Ocean: Public Law in a Plural World." The conference will take place at the Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand.
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