Category: Africa

Failure to forge liberal middle way still haunts Zimbabwe

     

Pity Zimbabwe. For more than 30 years its people have endured deepening poverty, rampant corruption and systematic human rights abuses, notes Michael Holman, a former Africa editor for the FT:… Read more »

Angola’s new regime ‘determined to enhance democracy’?

     

Angola is determined to enhance democracy, President João Lourenço told the European Parliament last week. His comments came shortly after the International Monetary Fund commended his administration for initiating reforms geared away… Read more »

Why women’s political participation matters

     

Congo Despite participating enthusiastically in political and community life in the Democratic Republic of Congo, women hold few public decision-making positions. Many have withdrawn from seeking office or getting involved… Read more »

Can foreign observers keep Zimbabwe’s election clean?

     

  Foreign observers will play a vital role in trying to ensure a clean election. Missions under the aegis of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community are… Read more »

Ethiopia’s reform moves from ‘symbolic gestures’ to ‘specific steps’?

     

On Saturday, June 23, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in the famous Meskel Square the heart of the capital city Addis Ababa, as citizen groups and human rights activists demonstrated support… Read more »

Zimbabwe’s upcoming polls present new political dynamics

     

  Since the Movement for Democratic Change’s founding in 1999, Zimbabwe has been going through a protracted struggle for democratization. An entrenched incumbent, fortified by a strong political-military network, has… Read more »

Is Nigeria’s democracy fragile ahead of 2019 elections?

     

Is Nigeria’s democracy increasingly fragile or does it give grounds for optimism? Nigeria is the sixth largest electoral democracy in the world, and 2019 will mark 20 years since the… Read more »