Across the world, former presidents have been asking for another shot at leading countries they have ruled before. Here are a few:

The former President of Ivory Coast, Henri Konan Bedie, has been declared a candidate for the top opposition party, the Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast (PDCI), in October’s presidential election. This move comes after the ruling party signalled that it would field the incumbent Alassane Outtara for a third term.

Mr Bedie served as president between 1993 and 1999 when he was ousted in a coup. In response to criticism about his age, Bedie said: “There is no age limit under the constitution. I am gathering all of my physical and intellectual strength.”

In a similar light, the former President of the Central African Republic, Francois Bozize, has announced he is running in the December presidential election. He will be running on the platform of the Kwa Na Kwa (KNK) party.

“The party congress has just designated me a candidate of the Kwa Na Kwa for the next presidential election… I solemnly accept the mission you have entrusted me,” he said in a speech that was also transmitted live on Facebook. Mr Bozize took power following a 2003 and was overthrown 10 years later in 2013. Despite sanctions by the United Nations for his role in the 2013 crisis, Mr Bozize is determined to get a hold on the power again.

The decisions by these two former presidents have further heightened tensions and uncertainty in these two countries, especially in Ivory Coast where a presidential candidate passed away a few weeks ago.

Repeat presidents are now a common feature in African politics and elections. What is an even more common feature is that these presidents are very old as the average age of an African president is 72 years. This trend has remained because it has proven to be successful: a former military dictator was able to convince voters to vote him into power as a democratic ruler in Nigeria, as recently as 2015.