A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a runoff presidential election in Bamako, Mali on Aug. 12, 2018.
Reuters/Luc Gnago
Elections are supposed to hold politicians accountable: Officials who fear losing their seat will work harder for voters. But in some countries, political competition actually makes government worse.
South African’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. One of the biggest obstacles to his success is the party he leads, the ANC.
Fllickr/GCIS
For a long time South Africa thought it had a Jacob Zuma problem. In fact its got a systemic ANC problem.
The headquarters of Siemens, Europe’s largest engineering company, in central Munich.
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The Siemens scandal needs to be remembered because it’s emblematic of what needs to be done to stop corruption.
Independent MP Cathy McGowan recently introduced a private member’s bill for the introduction of a national integrity commission, adding to pressure on the government.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The proposed integrity commission is an improvement on the patchwork of mechanisms in place now, but does not go nearly far enough to prevent and investigate corruption.
South Africa needs a new economic policy that envisages an overhaul of the power utility Eskom, which can’t keep the lights on.
EPA/Nic Bothma
South Africa needs a policy that drives growth and positions if for the 21st Century.
Julius Malema and his Economic Freedom Fighter are using President Cyril Ramaphosa’s anti-corruption campaign against him.
EPA-EFE/Kevin Sutherland
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ strategy of painting President Ramaphosa and his allies as corrupt is unlikely to succeed.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa faces the daunting task of fighting corruption and winning votes for his party.
GCIS
Polls indicate that South Africans are unlikely to totally abandon the African National Congress.
Voters want their governments – local, state, and federal – to clean up their act and put integrity reforms high on the agenda.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Almost all states have improved their accountability in recent years, and are far ahead of the Commonwealth government.
Voters line up in South Africa’s last election. Their concerns are shifting.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
South African voters are worried about how their country is being run. Most still support the ANC but in far fewer numbers.
Many questions about the new policy on whistleblowers have yet to be answered.
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The lack of clear reward mechanisms and the small amount of the incentive are among the reasons this regulation may not be effective.
One’s enough to worry about.
Shepherd Zhou/EPA
China wants its citizens to have more children. But they are reluctant to.
Nigeria has abandoned the idea of a national airline.
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Many of the structural and institutional deficiencies that caused the collapse of Nigeria Airways are still present.
Nepotism extends personal greed to a specific group’s interest.
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Most people in Indonesia underestimate the effects of nepotism.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, introduces the country’s new Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, in Cape Town.
Phando Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA)
South Africa’s new finance minister comes with considerable skills and political finesse needed to steer the country out of its economic quagmire.
Nhlanhla Nene’s departure means that South Africa has had six finance ministers in four years.
GCIS
Nhlanhla Nene was highly regarded for refusing to fund former President Zuma’s ludicrous rent-seeking projects.
Cameroonian President Paul Biya votes in the presidential elections in the capital Yaounde. He has been in power for 36 years.
EFE/EPA/Nic Bothma
President Paul Biya’s credibility and legitimacy are increasingly being tarnished, amid growing support for opposition candidates.
EPA-EFE/Cornell Tukiri
Two authors unpack the fragility of South Africa’s political parties and why democracy is a lifelong commitment.
Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo is heading up the inquiry into corruption in South Africa.
EPA-EFE/Kim Ludbrook
Justice Zondo needs to get under the skin of the politics of state capture in South Africa, to get on record what happened, and why.
The U.S. Capitol is seen here in this January 2018 photo. Three top Russian intelligence officials met with their American counterparts in D.C. in January. Why?
(AP Photo)
In January, three top Russian intelligence officials met with their peers in Washington, D.C. What was their goal amid the Robert Mueller investigation? An expert on Russia speculates.
Lake Victoria sees high levels of illegal fishing carried out by local fisherman and traders.
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Urgent measures need to be adopted to prevent corruption linked to illegal fishing activity in and around Lake Victoria.