II Countries and Regions, 19 Term Limits and Three Types of Constitutional Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa is replete with political conflicts that threaten the foundations of constitutional government or the establishment of such governments. This has been particularly so since African countries began holding regular elections in the 1990s, in a period marking the de jure end of one-party rule. Since then many countries have returned to power one-party or military incumbents who were not constitutionally eligible for re-election. This has in turn often triggered or produced political violence. Unsurprisingly, therefore, many of the constitutional crises...