The electoral campaign period for Madagascar’s 7 November 2018 presidential and National Assembly (NA) elections will officially commence on 7 October 2018. The election is set to be one of the most pivotal in Malagasy history and will pit at least four former presidents against one another. The build-up to the poll essentially began straight …
On 24 October 2018 Mozambique’s National Electoral Commission (CNE/Comissão Nacional de Eleições) confirmed the results of 10 October municipal elections despite allegations of impropriety raised in at least five municipalities. The main opposition party, Renamo, had submitted evidence to the CNE of its allegations that results had been amended to favour the ruling Frelimo party …
Angolan authorities have moved against the former ruling Dos Santos family and its allies, issuing arrest warrants and shutting down the private terminal at Luanda’s Quattro de Fevereiro Airport on 25 September 2018. Key among these actions was the arrest of Jose Filomeno dos Santos, the son of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, on …
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced on the cusp of 3 August that incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa had won the presidential election with 50.8% of the vote, managing to narrowly avoid a run-off election. The runner-up, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Nelson Chamisa, received 44.3% of the vote. Chamisa has disputed the result and …
Zimbabwe will hold a general election on 30 July 2018 in an environment of enthusiasm for change and concerns about the legitimacy of the ballot. The vote will include both the parliamentary and the presidential election. The highly anticipated election will be the first in Zimbabwe’s post-colonial history that will not feature former president Robert …
With Africa’s mining sector always in the investment spotlight, several countries this year revealed an emerging trend to legislative review, portending further uncertainty going forward. After severe unhappiness in SOUTH AFRICA’s mining sector due to the onerous prescriptions of Mining Charter III compiled on former president Jacob Zuma’s watch, a second version was published in …
On 21 May 2018 it was confirmed that an overwhelming majority of over 73% of Burundians voted yes in a referendum that, among various other changes, could see President Pierre Nkurunziza’s rule, due to end in 2020, extended to 2034. Possible changes to the constitution include the extension of presidential terms from five to seven …
On 3 May 2018, Renamo’s long-serving leader Afonso Dhlakama died. The announcement was made by Renamo party officials. The details surrounding Dhlakama’s death, including the cause of death, have not been revealed, but he is believed to have been ill and was being prepared to travel to South Africa for emergency medical treatment when he …
Much of the political news on the African continent in recent weeks has been dominated by events in Ethiopia where Hailemariam Dasegn stepped down as prime minister after imposing another state of emergency in response to frequent protests in the Oromo Region. Abiy Ahmed was elected the leader of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Democratic Front …
On 21 March 2018, 44 African states signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) during the final day of the African Union’s (AU’s) 10th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State summit, held in Kigali, Rwanda. Further, 43 states signed the Kigali declaration (which expresses African unity in moving forward), and 27 signed the …