insert_link World Trump’s post-conviction windfall shows democracy is increasingly a pay-to-play game By Daniel Drache, York University, Canada and Marc D. Froese, Burman University In the hours immediately following Donald Trump’s recent hush-money conviction in a Manhattan courtroom, his presidential campaign raked in US$53 million from small donors. Why are regular people without deep pockets throwing so much money at a convicted felon? In the United States today, as in many other countries with a populism […] todayJune 10, 2024 14
Namibia Namibian youth turn backs on political parties, survey reveals https://youtu.be/xWLE28d7Arw By Valeria Handobe Owner of Survey Warehouse Christie Keulder says that young Namibians are distancing themselves from political parties, with many stating that they no longer feel close to any party. This follows a survey conducted by Afrobarometer in March this year, which revealed that only 56% of young people voted during the 2019 national election. Afrobarometer is a pan-African non-partisan survey research network […] todayJune 7, 2024 11
insert_link South Africa South Africa: coalition government won’t fix past failures – expect the private sector to play a bigger role in delivering power, transport and security By Lawrence Hamilton, University of the Witwatersrand To help save the planet, governments across the globe are choosing to adopt sustainable policies and encourage (or coerce) the private sector to do likewise. Given the climate crisis, most responsible governments are focusing on finding every possible means to meet existing needs without sacrificing the planet to meet the needs of future generations. In South Africa things […] todayJune 4, 2024 15
insert_link World India praises vote conduct with Modi tipped to win By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA India's election commission said Monday a staggering 642 million people voted in just-concluded six-week-long polls, a day ahead of the results which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to win. Nearly all observers believe Modi's appeals to Hindu nationalist sentiment will give him a third term in power, a decade after he first took office. Exit polls show 73-year-old Modi is well […] todayJune 3, 2024 7
insert_link South Africa ANC set to lose majority after watershed vote By Umberto BACCHI with Zama LUTHULI in Durban South Africa's ruling ANC was on course to lose its 30-year-old unchallenged majority on Thursday after voters queued long into the night to cast their ballots, preliminary results and projections showed. With a fifth of votes tallied, the ANC was leading but with a score of 44 percent -- well down on the 57 percent it […] todayMay 30, 2024 24
insert_link Africa Democracy in Africa: digital voting technology and social media can be a force for good – and bad Electoral agents test a voting machine ahead of the DRC’s 2023 elections. Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Images) By Maxwell Maseko, University of the Witwatersrand It’s a bumper year for elections on the continent: by the end of 2024, 20 countries ought to have gone to the polls to vote in national elections. A handful of others are also scheduled to conduct local-level elections. As is the case elsewhere […] todayMay 29, 2024 16
insert_link South Africa Mayibuye! The 100-year-old slogan that’s stirred up divisions in South Africa’s elections By Corinne Sandwith, University of Pretoria Political parties the world over use slogans, icons, colours, names and flags to establish their political and historical credentials. What happens when two political parties lay claim to the same history and the same symbolic capital? In South Africa, a conflict of this kind is being played out between the governing African National Congress (ANC) party led by […] todayMay 28, 2024 23
insert_link Africa Belief in democracy is on the decline in Africa. Traditional institutions can help restore its importance By Vladimir Chlouba, University of Richmond Democracy in Africa has not had a good year. Military juntas from Mali to Niger appear to have cemented their grip on power. Sudan’s democratic dreams were dashed when the country’s two most powerful strongmen opted for war. And there’s now evidence that ordinary Africans may be losing faith in democracy as the best form of government. Afrobarometer, an organisation […] todayMay 17, 2024 8
insert_link South Africa South Africa’s public service is dysfunctional – the 5 main reasons why By Marcel Nagar, University of Johannesburg A public policy works well if it’s a good policy and if it’s carried out well. Politicians make policy and specialist bureaucrats in the public service carry it out. These appointed officials are supposed to follow a strict professional and ethical code of conduct. Over the past 30 years, South Africa has not had this kind of public service. Public […] todayMay 17, 2024 14
