Too many African countries are letting presidential term limits slip

THE PASSING of time improves many things. Friendships mature and deepen with the years. Fond memories become sweeter and bitter ones mellow. Presidential terms, however, rarely get better the longer they last.Take the case of Yoweri Museveni, who has run Uganda since 1986. Not content to retire to his farm, the 76-year-old is standing for yet another term in elections scheduled for January 14th. Mr Museveni is not the longest-serving president in Africa. That dubious record is held by family dynasties such as the Gnassingbés in Togo, the Obiangs in Equatorial Guinea and the Bongos in Gabon, who have ruled their countries for more than five decades, or by men such as Paul Biya, who has held the reins in Cameroon for nearly four decades (and was prime minister before that). Mr Museveni is not far behind. His 35 years in office show how leaders who start with much acclaim can look soiled when they stay too long.