African presidents' bids to extend their rule by amending constitutions succeed or fail on the strength of civil-society opposition — e.g., Burkina Faso's Blaise Compaoré was blocked in 2014 because pro-democracy groups (Balai Citoyen and others) mobilized urban youth with civic education on term limits, shifting the balance of social opposition from trade unions to the pro-democracy movement.

— In our words · Source: Extended stay: Factors contributing to success or failure when African presidents attempt to amend constitutions to hold on to power (Brent H. Oglesby)