Upcoming Elections
South Africa General – May 8, 2019
John Campbell at the Council on Foreign Relations: “South Africa’s national elections will take place on May 8. Looking toward that event, the African national Congress (ANC) and its leader, state president Cyril Ramaphosa, is working to improve the party’s image, much besmirched by corruption and mafia-style assassinations.”
Lynsey Chutel in Quartz: “South African politicians have become enamored with the “fourth industrial revolution”—a term often used to describe the intense technological transformation taking place in the world —turning to it as a campaign catchphrase ahead of the country’s May presidential elections.”
Malawi Tripartite (Presidential, Legislative, Local) – May 21, 2019
Lameck Masina in Voice of America: “Malawi’s Electoral Commission has officially launched campaigning for May elections with calls against political violence. Political violence is on the rise in Malawi as the country prepares for May elections. The victims are mostly opposition party members beaten by suspected supporters of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.”
Merete Bech Seeberg and Michael Wahman in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Why does Malawi have 1,331 candidates running for 193 seats in parliament? To fix democracies, you have to pay attention to the primaries’ integrity, too.”
Madagascar Legislative – May 27, 2019
Radio France International: “A candidate in the legislative elections assassinated in the north of the country” (in French)
Cameroon Parliamentary – Due October 2019
CNN: “The university football team that was abducted earlier in the week in Cameroon has been freed, the university’s head coach told CNN on Friday. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but Anglophone separatists fighting for independence from Cameroon’s largely Francophone government have been accused of kidnapping students in the country’s north and southwest regions.”
Mircea Lazar from Afrobarometer, in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Cameroon’s citizens are losing hope that their country can remain united”
Burundi General – Due July 2020
Nwachukwu Egbunike and Liam Anderson in Global Voices Online: “Burundi: Scribble on the president’s picture — go to jail”
Burkina Faso General – Expected November or December 2020
Danielle Paquette in the Washington Post: “Burkina Faso was supposed to take an important step Sunday toward democracy. The West African nation was expected to adopt presidential term limits through a long-anticipated national vote, even as Islamist violence gripped the countryside. But days before the polls were to open, the government has postponed that milestone indefinitely and without explanation.”
Reuters: “Burkina Faso security forces have summarily executed more than 115 civilians since mid-last year during operations against Islamist militants who themselves have killed over a third of that number, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. Burkina Faso has seen a sharp rise in Islamist attacks in the past three months, as militant groups seek to increase their influence across the Sahel.”
Human Rights Watch: “Human Rights Watch interviewed 92 victims and witnesses to the abuses, as well as community leaders, government officials, and security analysts, among others. The abuses documented occurred in 32 villages in the Sahel region, from mid-2018 until February 2019. The research builds on Human Rights Watch research in Burkina Faso from 2018.”
Robbie Corey-Boulet in World Politics Review: “These tactics are contributing to a general breakdown documented by a report released in January by the International Crisis Group, which noted that, in parts of the north and east, the state is no longer present and functioning. ‘For the first time since independence,’ the report said, ‘Burkinabe state authorities have lost control of parts of the country.’”
Central African Republic – Due 2020
Elise Thomas in the Daily Beast: “Russian Trolls Are Staging a Takeover in Africa—With Help From Mercenaries”
Reuters: “Central African Republic opens cabinet to more armed groups to bolster peace”
Past Elections
Comoros Presidential – March 24, 2019
Bloomberg: “Comoros Opposition Cries Foul as Election Violence Erupts”
Reuters: “Police in Comoros used tear gas on Monday to disperse demonstrators led by opposition leaders protesting against what they said were fraudulent presidential elections, witnesses said. Opposition candidates had said the Sunday poll was marred by irregularities including barring of independent monitors and marking of ballot papers before voting began, which the government denied.”
Senegal Presidential – February 23, 2019
Al Jazeera: “Beats, rhymes and elections: Rap and politics in Senegal: How hip-hop has become the language of politics for Senegal’s youth”
Nigeria General – February 24, 2019
John Campbell at the Council on Foreign Relations: “Nigeria’s latest presidential election cycle has been bad news for democracy in Africa’s most populous country and across the continent. Though President Muhammadu Buhari won the election, it was marred by historically low turnout and credible allegations of rigging.”
Patrick Gathara in the Washington Post: “Nigeria’s election shows that technology won’t save broken democracies”
Democratic Republic of the Congo – December 2018
Fred Oluoch in The East African: “The legitimacy of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is being tested following the failure of his party to win a single Senate seat, and the decision by the US to impose sanctions on electoral officials who presided over his victory.”
Financial Times: “US imposes sanctions on Congo election officials”
Cote d’Ivoire Senate – March 2018
Radio France International: “Twelve months after the first Senate elections in Cote d’Ivoire, made possible after the adoption by referendum of a new Constitution in November 2016, the Senate is not functioning at all.” (Article in French)
Africa This Week – March 25, 2019
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Last Updated: July 31, 2019 by 21votes
March 25, 2019
Each day, 21votes gathers election and political news from a different region of the world. We explore Africa on Mondays. Click the map pins.
South Africa General - May 8, 2019
John Campbell at the Council on Foreign Relations: “South Africa’s national elections will take place on May 8. Looking toward that event, the African national Congress (ANC) and its leader, state president Cyril Ramaphosa, is working to improve the party’s image, much besmirched by corruption and mafia-style assassinations.”
Lynsey Chutel in Quartz: “South African politicians have become enamored with the “fourth industrial revolution”—a term often used to describe the intense technological transformation taking place in the world —turning to it as a campaign catchphrase ahead of the country’s May presidential elections.”
Malawi Tripartite (Presidential, Legislative, Local) - May 21, 2019
Lameck Masina in Voice of America: “Malawi’s Electoral Commission has officially launched campaigning for May elections with calls against political violence. Political violence is on the rise in Malawi as the country prepares for May elections. The victims are mostly opposition party members beaten by suspected supporters of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.”
Merete Bech Seeberg and Michael Wahman in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Why does Malawi have 1,331 candidates running for 193 seats in parliament? To fix democracies, you have to pay attention to the primaries’ integrity, too.”
Madagascar Legislative - May 27, 2019
Radio France International: “A candidate in the legislative elections assassinated in the north of the country” (in French)
Cameroon Parliamentary - Due October 2019
CNN: “The university football team that was abducted earlier in the week in Cameroon has been freed, the university’s head coach told CNN on Friday. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but Anglophone separatists fighting for independence from Cameroon’s largely Francophone government have been accused of kidnapping students in the country’s north and southwest regions.”
Mircea Lazar from Afrobarometer, in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Cameroon’s citizens are losing hope that their country can remain united”
Burundi General - Due July 2020
Nwachukwu Egbunike and Liam Anderson in Global Voices Online: “Burundi: Scribble on the president’s picture — go to jail”
Burkina Faso General - Expected November or December 2020
Danielle Paquette in the Washington Post: “Burkina Faso was supposed to take an important step Sunday toward democracy. The West African nation was expected to adopt presidential term limits through a long-anticipated national vote, even as Islamist violence gripped the countryside. But days before the polls were to open, the government has postponed that milestone indefinitely and without explanation.”
Reuters: “Burkina Faso security forces have summarily executed more than 115 civilians since mid-last year during operations against Islamist militants who themselves have killed over a third of that number, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. Burkina Faso has seen a sharp rise in Islamist attacks in the past three months, as militant groups seek to increase their influence across the Sahel.”
Human Rights Watch: “Human Rights Watch interviewed 92 victims and witnesses to the abuses, as well as community leaders, government officials, and security analysts, among others. The abuses documented occurred in 32 villages in the Sahel region, from mid-2018 until February 2019. The research builds on Human Rights Watch research in Burkina Faso from 2018.”
Robbie Corey-Boulet in World Politics Review: “These tactics are contributing to a general breakdown documented by a report released in January by the International Crisis Group, which noted that, in parts of the north and east, the state is no longer present and functioning. ‘For the first time since independence,’ the report said, ‘Burkinabe state authorities have lost control of parts of the country.’”
Central African Republic - Due 2020
Elise Thomas in the Daily Beast: “Russian Trolls Are Staging a Takeover in Africa—With Help From Mercenaries”
Reuters: “Central African Republic opens cabinet to more armed groups to bolster peace”
Comoros Presidential - March 24, 2019
Bloomberg: “Comoros Opposition Cries Foul as Election Violence Erupts”
Reuters: “Police in Comoros used tear gas on Monday to disperse demonstrators led by opposition leaders protesting against what they said were fraudulent presidential elections, witnesses said. Opposition candidates had said the Sunday poll was marred by irregularities including barring of independent monitors and marking of ballot papers before voting began, which the government denied.”
Nigeria General - February 23, 2019
John Campbell at the Council on Foreign Relations: “Nigeria’s latest presidential election cycle has been bad news for democracy in Africa’s most populous country and across the continent. Though President Muhammadu Buhari won the election, it was marred by historically low turnout and credible allegations of rigging.”
Patrick Gathara in the Washington Post: “Nigeria’s election shows that technology won’t save broken democracies”
Senegal Presidential - February 24, 2019
Al Jazeera: “Beats, rhymes and elections: Rap and politics in Senegal: How hip-hop has become the language of politics for Senegal’s youth”
Democratic Republic of the Congo - December 2018
Fred Oluoch in The East African: “The legitimacy of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is being tested following the failure of his party to win a single Senate seat, and the decision by the US to impose sanctions on electoral officials who presided over his victory.”
Financial Times: “US imposes sanctions on Congo election officials”
Cote d’Ivoire Senate - March 2018
Radio France International: “Twelve months after the first Senate elections in Cote d’Ivoire, made possible after the adoption by referendum of a new Constitution in November 2016, the Senate is not functioning at all.” (Article in French)
Upcoming Elections
South Africa General – May 8, 2019
John Campbell at the Council on Foreign Relations: “South Africa’s national elections will take place on May 8. Looking toward that event, the African national Congress (ANC) and its leader, state president Cyril Ramaphosa, is working to improve the party’s image, much besmirched by corruption and mafia-style assassinations.”
Lynsey Chutel in Quartz: “South African politicians have become enamored with the “fourth industrial revolution”—a term often used to describe the intense technological transformation taking place in the world —turning to it as a campaign catchphrase ahead of the country’s May presidential elections.”
Malawi Tripartite (Presidential, Legislative, Local) – May 21, 2019
Lameck Masina in Voice of America: “Malawi’s Electoral Commission has officially launched campaigning for May elections with calls against political violence. Political violence is on the rise in Malawi as the country prepares for May elections. The victims are mostly opposition party members beaten by suspected supporters of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.”
Merete Bech Seeberg and Michael Wahman in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Why does Malawi have 1,331 candidates running for 193 seats in parliament? To fix democracies, you have to pay attention to the primaries’ integrity, too.”
Madagascar Legislative – May 27, 2019
Radio France International: “A candidate in the legislative elections assassinated in the north of the country” (in French)
Cameroon Parliamentary – Due October 2019
CNN: “The university football team that was abducted earlier in the week in Cameroon has been freed, the university’s head coach told CNN on Friday. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but Anglophone separatists fighting for independence from Cameroon’s largely Francophone government have been accused of kidnapping students in the country’s north and southwest regions.”
Mircea Lazar from Afrobarometer, in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Cameroon’s citizens are losing hope that their country can remain united”
Burundi General – Due July 2020
Nwachukwu Egbunike and Liam Anderson in Global Voices Online: “Burundi: Scribble on the president’s picture — go to jail”
Burkina Faso General – Expected November or December 2020
Danielle Paquette in the Washington Post: “Burkina Faso was supposed to take an important step Sunday toward democracy. The West African nation was expected to adopt presidential term limits through a long-anticipated national vote, even as Islamist violence gripped the countryside. But days before the polls were to open, the government has postponed that milestone indefinitely and without explanation.”
Reuters: “Burkina Faso security forces have summarily executed more than 115 civilians since mid-last year during operations against Islamist militants who themselves have killed over a third of that number, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. Burkina Faso has seen a sharp rise in Islamist attacks in the past three months, as militant groups seek to increase their influence across the Sahel.”
Human Rights Watch: “Human Rights Watch interviewed 92 victims and witnesses to the abuses, as well as community leaders, government officials, and security analysts, among others. The abuses documented occurred in 32 villages in the Sahel region, from mid-2018 until February 2019. The research builds on Human Rights Watch research in Burkina Faso from 2018.”
Robbie Corey-Boulet in World Politics Review: “These tactics are contributing to a general breakdown documented by a report released in January by the International Crisis Group, which noted that, in parts of the north and east, the state is no longer present and functioning. ‘For the first time since independence,’ the report said, ‘Burkinabe state authorities have lost control of parts of the country.’”
Central African Republic – Due 2020
Elise Thomas in the Daily Beast: “Russian Trolls Are Staging a Takeover in Africa—With Help From Mercenaries”
Reuters: “Central African Republic opens cabinet to more armed groups to bolster peace”
Past Elections
Comoros Presidential – March 24, 2019
Bloomberg: “Comoros Opposition Cries Foul as Election Violence Erupts”
Reuters: “Police in Comoros used tear gas on Monday to disperse demonstrators led by opposition leaders protesting against what they said were fraudulent presidential elections, witnesses said. Opposition candidates had said the Sunday poll was marred by irregularities including barring of independent monitors and marking of ballot papers before voting began, which the government denied.”
Senegal Presidential – February 23, 2019
Al Jazeera: “Beats, rhymes and elections: Rap and politics in Senegal: How hip-hop has become the language of politics for Senegal’s youth”
Nigeria General – February 24, 2019
John Campbell at the Council on Foreign Relations: “Nigeria’s latest presidential election cycle has been bad news for democracy in Africa’s most populous country and across the continent. Though President Muhammadu Buhari won the election, it was marred by historically low turnout and credible allegations of rigging.”
Patrick Gathara in the Washington Post: “Nigeria’s election shows that technology won’t save broken democracies”
Democratic Republic of the Congo – December 2018
Fred Oluoch in The East African: “The legitimacy of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is being tested following the failure of his party to win a single Senate seat, and the decision by the US to impose sanctions on electoral officials who presided over his victory.”
Financial Times: “US imposes sanctions on Congo election officials”
Cote d’Ivoire Senate – March 2018
Radio France International: “Twelve months after the first Senate elections in Cote d’Ivoire, made possible after the adoption by referendum of a new Constitution in November 2016, the Senate is not functioning at all.” (Article in French)
On deck: Guinea legislative (overdue – mandates of current legislators expired January 13 – date not set for new elections – some arguing for April 4); Guinea-Bissau presidential (scheduled for April – delays possible); Mauritania legislative (due by June – date not set and delays possible); South Africa legislative and provincial (May 5); Malawi tripartite – presidential, legislative, local (May 21); Madagascar parliamentary (May 27); Mali legislative (scheduled for June – tentative); Botswana parliamentary (October); Mozambique presidential, legislative, provincial (October 15); Namibia presidential and legislative (November); Somalia, Somaliland congressional and local (a decade overdue – were scheduled for December 2019 but election commission announced yet another delay – date not set); Mauritius legislative (December or January); Comoros parliamentary (January 2020)
South Africa’s Houses of Parliament in Cape Town. Photo credit: Wikimedia/PhilippN
21votes does not necessarily endorse all of the views in all of the linked articles or publications. Election dates can change – please let us know if a date has changed.
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Category: This Week Tags: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa