"I actually think I'm a pretty good president. I think if I ran I could win."

President Barack Obama joked on Tuesday that he would win a third presidential term were he allowed to run.

Speaking about African rulers who stay in power for long periods of time, Obama joked about the limits on his own power.

"I actually think I'm a pretty good president. I think if I ran I could win," Obama said during remarks at an assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "But I can't."

President Barack Obama spoke about places where there is only "democracy in name, but not in substance" on Tuesday

President Barack Obama spoke about places where there is only "democracy in name, but not in substance" on Tuesday

SAUL LOEB via Getty Images

A two-term limit is good, Obama said, because it allows leaders to bring new perspectives.

"I’m still a pretty young man, but I know that someone with new insights and new energy will be good for my country,” Obama said, according to Politico.

Obama also said that democracy only existed in name but not substance when journalists and activists were threatened, the BBC reported. Two journalists jailed for writing critically of Ethiopia's government were released shortly before Obama's visit, but four of their colleagues remain imprisoned, CBS reported.

For more from The Huffington Post, download our app for iOS or Android.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot