This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
1252 issue: week ending 10 June 2022
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.
Moroccan national captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Sahel: Jihadists surround Mali town of Boni
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Egypt: Family of jailed dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah says he is on hunger strike, regime denies
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Algeria announces flight service to Caracas during Maduro’s visit to Algiers
Algeria and Venezuela agreed Thursday to boost their economic cooperation, as President Nicolas Maduro visited his...
Law: Liberal Tunisians looking to draft a constitution without mention of religion
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Sahel: Mali launches military offensive to retake town of Anderamboukane from insurgents
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Morocco: German cruise ship ‘Mein Schiff Herz’ prevented from entering Morocco over Covid-19 scare
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Burkina Faso: Terror attack on Karma mine leaves two dead
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Moroccans living abroad return home this summer in large numbers
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Unease at EU after Algeria ended cooperation treaty with Spain
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Sahel: Despair in Chad as food crisis intensifies
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Morocco facing a daunting economic outlook
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Algeria suspends treaty of friendship with Spain over Western Sahara
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Tunisian police block protests against president’s referendum
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Western Sahara human rights defender Sultana Khaya released after 19 months of house arrest
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Togo: Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claims May attack in Togo
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Sahel: Chaos and killings accelerate in Mali
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Energy: More woes for the Algerian petroleum sector ($)
Algeria's energy sector is back in the spotlight as the country's stabilized its political system for now and strong...
Morocco: World’s biggest producer of cannabis inches closer to legalizing it
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Sahel: The lawless northern Chad and deaths over gold
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Western Sahara: Reports of Moroccan security forces assaulting Sahrawi militants
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Egypt: Regime pardons 11 political prisoners, but keeps 60,000 others in jail
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login
Tunisia: More political drama in Tunis as president fires dozens of judges
This article is free, but it requires registration. Click on article to register or login