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 […] todayJuly 12, 2024 8
insert_link Namibia NEFF hires top South African lawyer to fight deregistration The Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) has taken decisive legal action against the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), challenging the commission's decision to deregister the party. NEFF Member of Parliament and Deputy Leader Kalimbo Iipumbu said the party has enlisted the expertise of prominent South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi to argue their case in the High Court of Namibia. Iipumbu stressed that their action is not merely a battle between […] todayJuly 10, 2024 22
insert_link South Africa South African parliament meets as ANC nears coalition deal By Julie BOURDIN, with Zama LUTHULI in Johannesburg South Africa's newly elected parliament met Friday and was expected to re-elect President Cyril Ramaphosa to form an unprecedented coalition government as his humbled ANC raced to cobble together a deal. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo opened the first sitting of South Africa's seventh parliament since the advent of post-apartheid democracy in 1994, swearing in MPs in batches […] todayJune 14, 2024 22
insert_link World UK’s Sunak to unveil tax-cutting manifesto By James PHEBY British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will promise voters "financial security" and tax cuts when he unveils his Conservative party manifesto on Tuesday, following a disastrous week that even led to rumours he might quit. "We Conservatives have a plan to give you financial security," he will say, according to extracts of his speech released in advance. "We will enable working people […] todayJune 11, 2024 2
insert_link World Snap elections in France: a political scientist lays out what’s at stake By Julien Robin, Université de Montréal Speaking at a surprise address to the nation on Sunday evening, French president Emmanuel Macron told French citizens he had “decided to give [them] back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote”. These words, pronounced in reaction to the historic surge of the far-right National Rally at the European elections, triggered the dissolution of France’s […] todayJune 11, 2024 11
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
insert_link World EU parliament election sees shaken centre hold – but far right now has chances to show its strength By Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey After the four-day, 27-state democratic marathon that is the European parliamentary election, a picture has emerged of a fragile centre just holding amid a shift to the right that carries a significant potential to shape the near future of the EU, despite having fallen short of producing the earthquake some predicted. The big shock came in France, with […] todayJune 10, 2024 10
insert_link Namibia Politicians urged to simplify manifestos to engage young voters https://youtu.be/94YOzZof2fs By: Valeria Handobe, via News on One Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Youth Leader and Head of Communications, Julia Nekwaya called on political parties to make their manifestos more digestible for young voters. Nekwaya was speaking at the EduVote panel discussion, hosted by the Global Shapers - Windhoek hub, which aims to amplify the voices and perspectives of young voters, encouraging them to actively engage […] todayJune 3, 2024 11
insert_link World Sheinbaum victory: a win for Mexican women? By Laura BONILLA Nearly two decades after its then-president described women as "two-legged washing machines," Mexico has elected a woman to lead a country with a long history of gender-based bigotry and violence. The new leader, Claudia Sheinbaum, has talked about the desire of women to "live without fear" and rails against the stereotype that a woman is "prettier when she keeps her mouth shut." But […] todayJune 3, 2024 4
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
