Eswatini King Mswati II’s despotic rule is increasingly under pressure from citizens yearning for democracy.
Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The deteriorating situation prompted regional leaders to intervene in a bid to restore peace and stability.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the campaign trail.
Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images
Turnout was low. But not equally so across the board. Patterns show it was not a statement by all voters – it was a message from ANC supporters.
The Economic Freedom Fighters’s campaign emphasises national issues.
EFE-EPA/Nic Bothma
The 2021 election will define for citizens important aspects of South Africa’s political future. What is the governing ANC’s future, and what was the impact of President Ramaphosa on this election?
EFE-EPA/Stringer
The rise in political parties and the explosion in the number of independents means that it’s no longer simply a race among the three major parties.
President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
EFE-EPA/-Hayoung Jeon
President Tshisekedi’s government no longer has the excuse that it’s being hampered by the dead hand of his predecessor Joseph Kabila’s cabal.
Late Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s, seen in this 2004 photograph, is one leader whose legacy will linger for long.
Photo by Hocine Zaourar/AFP via Getty Images
Bouteflica’s two decades in power were the most damaging Algeria had experienced since independence from France in 1962.
Joao Lourenco, the President of Angola.
EFE-EPA/Clemens Bilan
The optimism Angolan president João Lourenço’s election generated four years ago has dwindled as electoral promise after another have failed to materialise.
The militarisation of the Zimbabwean government raises serious questions about who really wields political power - President Emmerson Mnangagwa or army leaders.
Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Images
The extent of democracy capture varies markedly between countries. It’s much higher in states such as Zimbabwe, where the government has never changed hands.
King Letsie III of Lesotho. Frustration with politicians has led to a rise in popularity of the monarchy in recent times.
CChris Jackson via Getty Images
A monarch with absolute powers is just as dangerous as self-serving politicians in a democracy.
Supporters of the M5 opposition movement show their support for the military junta, calling for a new and inclusive Mali in Bamako in June.
EFE-EPA/Hadama Diakite
Whatever its flaws, it doesn’t mean the government action plan should be ignored or opposed. Rather, more needs to be done to achieve its goals.
President of Angola Joao Lourenco in Berlin, Germany in 2018. The powers of the president remain intact.
Photo by Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The Angolan political elite lost an extraordinary opportunity to improve significantly the country’s constitution.
Some political parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters, want municipal elections postponed because they can’t host campaign rallies.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
It’s not convincing to argue that the political parties would not be able to campaign as they have done in the past.
Might the 2021 Zambian elections usher in another period of economic growth?
Salim Dawood/AFP via Getty Images
Whoever wins the elections will face two key challenges: reviving the country’s democratic credentials and stimulating the economy.
King Mswati III of eSwatini, Africa’s last absolute monarch, is facing growing demands for democracy and rule of law.
EPA-EFE/Yeshiel Panchia
There is more support for democracy among African people than is often recognised. Yet this can be undermined by election rigging and is lower in countries like Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa.
A queue of eager voters in Hawassa, Ethiopia, during the Sidama referendum in November 2019.
Photo by Michael Tewelde/AFP via Getty Images
Ethiopian history shows that the demands of its young people can’t go unaddressed for long.
A convoy of Malian armed forces escorts the vehicle of the country’s coup leader as he returns from a recent ECOWAS summit where Mali was suspended.
Photo by Michele Cattani/AFP via Getty Images
Mali’s state decay must be halted before it collapses: here are five areas that need attention.
Mahamat Idriss Deby, right, greets his brother Zakaria during the state funeral for their father Chadian President Idriss Deby.
Christophe Petit/AFP via Getty Images
The recent spate of military takeovers, most recently in Chad, highlights a developing trend by armed forces in Africa which overtly subvert constitutional governance.
A Somali military officer supporting anti-government forces on the streets of the capital Mogadishu.
AFP via Getty Images
The international community is opposed to Farmaajo’s term extension because of fears that it’s a power grab consistent with political trends elsewhere in the region.
Protesters descended on the seat of government in 2017 to demand former South African president Jacob Zuma resign.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
To build a political culture that supports democracy in South Africa, civic education needs to move beyond voter education.
Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno has died at the age of 68.
Steeve Jordan / AFP via Getty Images
When he grabbed power in 1990, Déby promised to create a democratic society, but he turned out to be a ruthless authoritarian whose main agenda was to remain in office.