Brought to its knees by the recklessness of the Zuma presidency, the South African economy needs a new deal. The ANC’s new leader Cyril Ramaphosa needs to act quickly if he’s going to make his mark.
If only expensive documents such as passports are acceptable forms of identification at polling stations, many people may be denied their democratic rights. Free voter cards are essential.
The past 12 months provided further evidence of the danger of democratic backsliding in Africa. But it also saw powerful presidents suffer embarrassing setbacks in a number of countries.
President Joseph Kabila was supposed to step down at the end of his term in 2016. By clinging on to power he threw the Democratic Republic of Congo into a vicious cycle of deadly conflict.
It’s still unclear whether Zimbabwe will manage an effective transition to participatory democracy and freedom. And the current signs are not encouraging.
The unfolding misfortunes of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe hold key lessons for his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma who faces the possibility of a forced exit.
In Virginia, suburbanites, city-dwellers and black voters together rebuffed racism as an electoral strategy and handed Dems a huge win. Is this diverse coalition the future of Old Dominion politics?
A different form of state capture is underway in South Africa’s rural areas where traditional leaders are selling off people’s land to miners. But communities are fighting back.
There are good reasons to be concerned about the procedures used for voter registration in many countries, including many long-established democracies.
Local news is as important to communities as clean air, but the failing business model of traditional journalism has left the local news industry in rapid decline.
Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State