EMERGING TRENDS IN AFRICA’S ELECTORAL PROCESSES

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines electoral trends in Africa based on elections held in 2015 and early 2016. While noting progress in democratic institution building since the 1990s, the authors identify four critical trends—constitutional manipulation, electoral calendar tampering, harassment of opposition, and low voter turnout—that threaten to reverse democratic gains. The document advocates for stricter adherence to African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Community (REC) standards to ensure credible and inclusive elections.

• There is a rising trend of African states attempting to modify their constitutions to extend presidential or prime ministerial tenures. While countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Namibia, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda successfully altered or removed two-term limits, attempts to do so failed in Burkina Faso, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, and Zambia.
• Incumbent parties are increasingly revising electoral calendars to create unfair advantages. In Congo-Brazzaville, the 2016 elections were called hastily, which the authors suggest allowed the ruling party to leverage its proximity to state funds and apparatus to secure 67% of the vote.
• Ruling parties in several nations have used state security agencies to intimidate opposition candidates and restrict fundamental freedoms. Examples include the repeated arrest and house arrest of Dr Kizza Besigye in Uganda and arrests of opposition members in Niger that led to calls for an election boycott.
• Governments have restricted internet and social media access during election periods to prevent the coordination of protests or the spread of misinformation. Congo-Brazzaville shut down access for six days, while Chad and Uganda blocked internet access on election day; Burundi shut down social media during protests regarding President Pierre Nkurunziza's 2015 nomination.
• Voter turnout in Africa is significantly lower than global and Asian averages, indicating widespread 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 participated in the presidential election, and Nigeria, where only 43.65% of accredited citizens voted.
• Low participation among women, youth, the elderly, and persons with disabilities is driven by systemic exclusion from political party nomination processes, corruption, and a lack of accessible polling stations for disadvantaged populations.

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} }