EMERGING TRENDS IN AFRICA’S ELECTORAL PROCESSES

The document analyzes electoral trends in Africa between 2015 and early 2016, identifying four negative trends: constitutional alterations to extend term limits, manipulation of electoral calendars, harassment of opposition candidates, and low voter turnout. It highlights a gap between the existence of continental democratic frameworks, such as the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), and the political will of governing elites to implement them. The authors recommend structural reforms, respect for electoral calendars, and the adoption of social media codes of conduct to protect freedom of expression.

• There is a rising trend of states attempting to modify their constitutions to extend presidential or prime ministerial tenures. While countries like Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Namibia, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda successfully amended their constitutions to alter or remove two-term limits, attempts in Burkina Faso, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, and Zambia failed.
• Electoral calendars are being manipulated to benefit incumbent parties, which undermines the impartiality of Election Management Bodies (EMBs). In Congo-Brazzaville, the 2016 elections were called hastily, which the opposition claimed gave the ruling party an unfair advantage due to its proximity to state funds and apparatus.
• Ruling parties are increasingly using state security agencies to harass opposition candidates and restricting digital communication during elections. Examples include the repeated arrest and house arrest of Dr Kizza Besigye in Uganda, and the shutdown of social media or internet access on election days in Burundi, Chad, Uganda, and Congo-Brazzaville.
• Voter turnout in Africa is significantly lower than global averages, reflecting citizen apathy and distrust. In 2015, presidential and parliamentary elections in Africa averaged under 60% turnout, compared to global averages of 67% and 65% respectively. Specific examples include Zambia, where only 32.36% of registered voters voted in the presidential election, and Nigeria, where only 43.65% of accredited citizens voted.
• Low participation among women, youth, and marginalized groups is driven by systemic exclusion from political party nomination processes, corruption, and a lack of information.
• Despite the existence of comprehensive frameworks like the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, the primary obstacle to democratic progress is the lack of political will among the governing elite to implement these laws.

APA

SanuSI, I. B., & naSSuna, R. (2017). EMERGING TRENDS IN AFRICA’S ELECTORAL PROCESSES. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-158.pdf

Chicago

SanuSI, Ibraheem bukunle, and rIzzan naSSuna. EMERGING TRENDS IN AFRICA’S ELECTORAL PROCESSES. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2017. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-158.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=SanuSI |first1=Ibraheem bukunle |last2=naSSuna |first2=rIzzan |title=EMERGING TRENDS IN AFRICA’S ELECTORAL PROCESSES |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-158.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sanusi2017emerging, author = {SanuSI, Ibraheem bukunle and naSSuna, rIzzan}, title = {{EMERGING TRENDS IN AFRICA’S ELECTORAL PROCESSES}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-158.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }