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Articles on Elections in Africa

Displaying 21 - 40 of 167 articles

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah speaks after submitting his candidacy papers for the presidential election last November. The poll was postponed. EPA-EFE/Stringer

Why elections will not solve Libya’s deep-rooted problems

The biggest challenge is that the government does not have a monopoly over the legitimate use of force.
King Mswati III of eSwatini, Africa’s last absolute monarch, is facing growing demands for democracy and rule of law. EPA-EFE/Yeshiel Panchia

Africans want consensual democracy – why is that reality so hard to accept?

There is more support for democracy among African people than is often recognised. Yet this can be undermined by election rigging and is lower in countries like Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa.
Supporters of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice opposition party rally at Maskel Square in Addis Ababa, on June 16, 2021. Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

Amid war and instability, why the Ethiopian election matters

A new government with popular legitimacy will have power to address lingering political, economic and security challenges.
A Somali military officer supporting anti-government forces on the streets of the capital Mogadishu. AFP via Getty Images

Somalia: toxic elite politics and the need for cautious external mediation

The international community is opposed to Farmaajo’s term extension because of fears that it’s a power grab consistent with political trends elsewhere in the region.
Hundreds of Namibians protested against growing gender-based violence in October 2020. The Afrikaans wording on the placard says ‘We are tired’. Hildegard Titus/AFPvia Getty Images)

Why, 31 years after independence, Namibians aren’t in a festive mood

The legitimacy of SWAPO, the former liberation movement that has governed since 1990, has been eroded amid growing corruption and a deepening economic crisis.

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