After the fall of autocratic ruler Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe faces a difficult choice between the stability of a transnational government or a potentially divisive election contest.
Mugabe tried to impose his wife on his party as his chosen successor.
Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters
Are we witnessing the end of an era in which dictators stayed in power for decades? If so this must be good not only for Angola and Zimbabwe but for southern Africa as a whole.
President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace have become increasingly divisive figures in Zimbabwe.
Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo
The protracted political crisis in Zimbabwe has worsened since President Mugabe fired vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Now the military has entered the fray, raising fears a coup is imminent.
A placard “leave the power” being held by a demonstrator during a protest against President Faure Gnassingbe in Lome.
Noel Kokou Tadegnon/Reuters
The seeds of discord that were planted in independent Togo have resulted in ethnic divisions, and a state that has long been ruled by family. But recent protests could mean things are about to change.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta waves as he leaves a campaign rally in the capital.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
While Kenya’s political leaders often adopt a populist approach to politics, it’s not unimaginable that the courts could also pursue a populist path by claiming to speak for the people.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and contender Raila Odinga in happier times. The two are now embroiled in a bitter political contest.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Democracy doesn’t seem to work within societies governed by politics of ethnicity. Instead, elections continue to offer up the hard choice between electoral credibility and political stability.
Supporters of Joao Lourenco and the ruling MPLA during an election campaign rally in Luanda.
EPA/Manuel de Almeida
Angola’s recent election results showed the ruling MPLA losing support across the country. If opposition claims are to be taken seriously, the losses could be more severe than they appear.
Kenya’s Supreme Court judges preside before delivering the judgment that nullified last month’s presidential election
Baz Ratner/Reuters
Kenya’s electoral commission faced many legal challenges before the general election, and yet another after the poll. But how will the Supreme Court’s historic ruling impact the country’s democracy?
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga reacts after the Supreme Court declares the election invalid.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
Kenya’s Supreme Court landmark ruling has opened the door to robust conversation around the country’s nascent democracy, paving the way for rule of law and stronger institutions.
Opposition Kenyan leader Raila Odinga speaks out after the election was declared invalid.
Reuters/Baz Ratner
By failing to provide details on what invalidated Kenya’s election, the country’s Supreme Court has created an impossible timeline for organising re-elections within 60 days.
When Kenyans vote, ethnic conflict is never too far behind.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
One way to diffuse the tension when Kenyans choose a head of state is to take that decision out of their hands. This could help achieve ethnic cohesion.
Opposition supporters outside Kenya’s Supreme Court.
Daniel Irungu/EPA
Some might see Kenya’s presidential election petition as ‘nuisance legislation’. But legal arbitration must be encouraged as an audit to the democratic process.
João Lourenço, set to become Angola’s president, is unlikely to bring any major changes.
EPA/Manuel de Almeida
Angola’s president-elect, João Lourenço, has a reputation for relative probity. But, he’s unlikely to rock the boat as Eduardo dos Santos remains party chairman.
A woman stands behind policemen during post election clashes, in Nairobi’s Kibera slum.
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Much international media focus has been on Kenya’s election being a trigger for violence, but that’s only part of the story. The ongoing grievances of Kenyans must be addressed.
Rwandan presidential candidate, Frank Habineza, waves to supporters.
Reuters/Jean Bizimana
With frequent irregularities, it’s easy to become cynical about elections in Africa. But polls are an essential component of the continent’s growing democracy.
The opposition is determined to get rid of President Jacob Zuma even if it means overriding democracy.
Flcker/GCIS
President Joseph Kabila remains in office despite upheaval in the DRC. He can still save face and a change of heart could see him become the first Congolese president to relinquish power.
Zambia has become increasingly ruled by fear under President Edgar Lungu.
EPA/Philippe Wojazer
Zambia has gone from a country where people engaged freely in open political debate to one where most people now look over their shoulders to see who’s listening.
Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu is tightening his grip on power even further.
EPA/Abir Sultan
Zambia’s president is securing powers to consolidate his political control while generating ‘plausible deniability’ to whether or not he has fatally undermined democracy.
President Jacob Zuma, left, gets a courtesy visit from President of Namibia Hage Geingob in 2015 in Cape Town.
GCIS
South Africa’s ANC and Namibia’s SWAPO, governing parties, enter crucial leadership elections this year, with presidents Zuma and Geingob both facing challenges.