insert_link Africa Botswana Prepares for Crucial Election as President Masisi Seeks Second Term Botswana is set to vote today in an election that will decide if President Mokgweetsi Masisi can secure a second term amid economic challenges linked to declining diamond demand according to Reuters. The Botswana Democratic Party, in power since 1966, remains the frontrunner despite facing a drop in popularity, as voters will elect a National Assembly, with the largest party responsible for selecting the president. today30 October, 2024
insert_link World Political uncertainty in Japan after ruling party fails to win majority Japan has been plunged into political uncertainty after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and its coalition partner lost its majority in a general election that was called by the country's new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba. The parties will now have to rely on the support of another party to form a government. Rebecca Bundhun reports from Tokyo. today28 October, 2024
insert_link Africa Paul Kagame has had an iron grip on Rwanda for decades – 6 essential reads on what keeps him in power By Julius Maina, The Conversation and Kagure Gacheche, The Conversation There is little doubt that Paul Kagame will win the votes necessary to extend his 24-year rule in Rwanda’s general election on 15 July 2024. The ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front, nominated Kagame as its presidential candidate during a congress in March. He got 99.1% of the vote. Kagame faces Frank Habineza, who […] today12 July, 2024
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 […] today30 May, 2024
insert_link Africa Tanzanians go to the polls in 2025: President Samia has changed the landscape, but Magufuli’s legacy persists By Nicodemus Minde, United States International University It’s been three years since the death of Tanzania’s president John Magufuli and the rise to power of current president Samia Suluhu Hassan. Magufuli was Tanzania’s fifth president. He came to power in 2015 and was re-elected in 2020 in a poll that was marred by controversy. Magufuli brought lasting changes to Tanzania’s political landscape during his six-year tenure. His […] today16 April, 2024
insert_link Opinion Pieces The two faces of Jacob Zuma – former South African president campaigns to unseat the ANC he once led. Who supports him and why? By Susan Booysen, University of the Witwatersrand Former South African president Jacob Zuma’s political comeback builds on support from marginalised and angry constituencies within or close to the governing African National Congress (ANC). His vengeful but “loyal” rebellion against the ANC resonates with these political constituencies. In mid-December 2023, Zuma announced that he would be supporting the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), rather than the ANC, […] today26 January, 2024
insert_link Opinion Pieces South Africa’s ANC marks its 112th year with an eye on national elections, but its record is patchy and future uncertain By Sandy Africa, University of Pretoria The speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered at the 112th birthday celebration of South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), on 13 January can be seen as the party’s opening election gambit: a stadium packed to capacity, the display of a united leadership, and an invocation of three decades of success, delivered by a leader firmly in control of his party. The […] today17 January, 2024
