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1166 issue: week ending 11 June 2020
Another Wasted Year Ahead
With MondAfrique
The island nation of Comoros on the Indian ocean is the first African nation to inaugurate the election season on the African continent. And if the Comoros island is an example of what’s to come, Africa’s elections are going to count for nothing, with a few notable exceptions.
In the Comoros, the incumbent President Azali Assoumani was declared on the 16 January 2024, the winner of rigged elections that triggered riots. As of January 18, Comoros witnessed a second day of turmoil resulting in one fatality and at least six injuries. Opposition parties contested the election results, alleging fraud and bias in favor of Assoumani, who, having changed the constitution in 2018 to bypass term limits, secured a fourth term with 62.97% of the vote. Accusations of dissent crackdown and protest bans were leveled against Assoumani, who also chairs the African Union.
President Assoumani and the Comoros are a template of what African politics looks like. African leaders have no interest in quitting their presidential seats without upheaval. Aside from some exceptions, there is no such thing as smooth presidential transition. Assoumani of the Comores has been in power since 1999.
So 2024 should be a record election year for Africa. Twenty countries, accounting for 346 million voters will be called to participate to elections that will mostly be rigged and decided in advance.
However, for those of you who live un western nations and where elections are the backbone of governance, it is worth noting that Africa has long been looking to distance itself from western-style democracy. Our colleagues from MondAfrique noted, rightly so, the for the most part, the forthcoming African elections have no democratic content and standards in them, citing the fact that different factors and actors have a more direct impact on the political systems in those countries. Among the factors cited by MondAfrique is the predominant role of the military in several countries like Mali, Niger and Guinea, the strength of traditional tribal structures, the rise of Islamic values favoring tradition over the law or finally the positive image of Vladimir Putin among many of African heads of state, factors that naturally clash with Western democratic values.
So of course, Africa does not have to mimic the west. It can create its own political model. But should we be pleased that a handful of ruthless rulers and their backers will win elections in advance? Not at all. Here is a snapshot of what to expect this year as African experience another election cycle.
Tunisia: Tragedy at sea as more than 50 migrants die off the coast of Sfax
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Egypt: Female social media influencers under attack
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Libya: Haftar’s landmines kill more civilians in Tripoli
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Sahel: Government forces sowing terror in the Sahel
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Egypt wants tourists to return, reopening Red Sea resorts
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Libya: Did Kadhafi give Sarkozy money to fund his election? A court will decide
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Sahel: Chad ruler Deby delays national assembly election for fifth time since 2015, his party stays in power
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Sahel: The who’s who of foreign forces in the Sahel
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Consul of Morocco in Algerian city of Oran leaves Algeria after row over “enemy country” statement
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Tunisian parliament rejects motion on France apology for crimes committed during colonial era
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Sahel: With Droukdel dead, here’s Al-Qaeda/IS’ trio of leaders to watch
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Libya: Haftar forces are resisting GNA offensive near Sirte
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Mali: Religious leader takes center stage in Mali political crisis
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Egypt: No progress in Nile dam negotiations with Ethiopia
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Chad: French troops wounded in N’Djamena shooting
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Libya: With Haftar forces on the run, Libya resumes oil production at al-Fil
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Libya: With their protégé warlord Haftar losing the war, Egypt and UAE want a ceasefire
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Sahel: Growing concern over soldiers’ misconduct in the Sahel
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Egypt’s debt rising with another large IMF loan
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Insurgency: France claims it killed Al-Qaeda’s Droukdel, arrests ISIS commander
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Famine in Burkina Faso
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Sahel: The people of Mali launch their anti-regime Hirak movement
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Libya: Haftar’s forces lose Tarhouna in a disastrous retreat
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Egypt: Despite ban, Female Genital Mutilation is still widely practiced in Egypt
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