Politics in Lesotho can look incredibly complicated, with a mish-mash of competing political parties and repeated military interventions. It’s a mess, but it’s not that hard to unravel.
As we celebrate Africa Day and reflect on how far the continent has come since the Organisation of African Unity was founded in 1963, it’s a good time to assess whether democracy is working.
Malawi faces the biggest overhaul in its electoral system since the 1990s.
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The proposed change to Malawi’s electoral system is straightforward and makes logical sense. Yet it’s more complex and if adopted would revolutionise local politics.
Kenya’s electronic polling system could be jeopardised by a manual backup.
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In a political environment where voters are increasingly attuned to instances of polling malpractice, African states are grudgingly adopting technology as a barrier to election fraud.
A protest against President Joseph Kabila. The poster reads: “Kabila must leave without any conditions”.
Reuters/Francois Lenoir
Attempts to deepen democracy in Africa by limiting presidential terms to two have not entirely quashed a culture of entitlement to rule. Glimpses of it persist, much against citizens’ wishes.
Members of the Ecowas force at the Denton Bridge check point in Banjul, The Gambia, following Yahya Jammeh’s departure.
Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon
Regional power Ecowas, which has just seen off yet another dictator in Yahya Jammeh, started off with a tame agenda 42 years ago. But it was soon shaped by civil wars, military coups and despots
Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Muhammadu Buhari, Macky Sall and former Ghanian President John Mahama at a special meeting of Ecowas on The Gambia.
Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde
SADC’s credibility is at stake. Its lack of political will in acting decisively against despots is at odds with the African Union’s goal of promoting legitimate governance on the continent.
The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh is under pressure from regional leaders to cede power.
Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon
The Gambian election dispute is not the first that ECOWAS has confronted. Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010 presidential election is a case in point. There it resorted to military action to enforce the outcome.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma (left), who is also the president of the governing ANC, and his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
After two decades of political dominance, the electoral performance of the ANC is at its lowest since it became the governing party of South Africa in 1994. But is the party really unraveling?
Côte d'Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara addresses a rally ahead of the referendum on a new constitution. The placard reads “yes to new Ivory Coast”.
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The proposed new constitution would allow Alassane Ouattara to remain as president. Opposition parties see this move as a constitutional “coup” that will also protect his allies.
The charred interior of the Gabon’s parliament after it was burned in post-election protests in Libreville.
Edward McAllister/Reuters
National electoral commissions are crucial in shaping public perceptions of how well democracy is working. Poor electoral management can enable fraud and produce political alienation.
Protesters in Paris against Gabonese President Ali Bongo with placards reading: 1967-2016, 50 years in power is enough!
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South Africa’s watershed local elections have resulted in upsets for the ANC in key metropoles. But will the new, minority coalition regimes live up to their mandate of providing basic services?
Edgar Lungu supporters at a pre-election rally. The level of polarisation before Zambia’s polls was unprecedented.
Reuters/Stella Mapenzausw
Zambia’s Edgar Lungu shouldn’t consider his presidential victory to mean business as usual in the management of the economy; nor an opportunity to waste and plunder.
Election officials scan voters’ identity documents during South Africa’s local government elections in Umlazi, Durban.
Reuters/Rogan Ward
Many municipalities in the South Africa don’t function properly because of poor management and administrative capacity. They don’t have enough appropriately qualified and experienced staff.
South African President Jacob Zuma reacts during the official announcement of the municipal election results in Pretoria.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Various commentators have wrongly over the last 22 years said that black people voted blindly for ANC governments. There’s no better example why the academy needs a dramatic post-colonial overhaul.
A Zambian opposition protester is arrested during a past election: Instances of serious violence have increased dramatically this time around.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
Danielle Resnick, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
As Zambia prepares to go to the polls again the entire party system is in flux, electoral violence has been worryingly frequent and the country’s democratic credentials are increasingly in doubt
South Africa’s struggling economy may have played a big role in determining the outcome of the 2016 local government elections, but the future direction of economic policy remains uncertain.
Supporters of South Africa’s governing ANC during President Jacob Zuma’s election campaign in Pretoria.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
For more than 20 years the ANC’s electoral support has appeared unyielding to the obvious weaknesses of its performance in government. To fall below 60% is psychologically significant for the party.
Voters wait their turn outside a polling station at Nkonjeni village in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The country is gearing up for local elections.
Reuters/Radu Sigheti
The opposition Democratic Alliance is hopeful that the African National Congress will fail to win a majority in three metros. This will open the door for it to rule in coalition with smaller parties.
Chief Research Specialist in Democracy and Citizenship at the Human Science Research Council and a Research Fellow Centre for African Studies, University of the Free State