Circumspecte

Originally written by Jemila Abdulai for the March 2012 edition of the SAIS Observer African Elections: Version 2012 The lineup of African elections this year is impressive to say the least. Over 10 countries are slated to go to the polls to select their local and national representatives. Among them are Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Zimbabwe; each of which will either re-elect or select an entirely new head-of-state. With the occasional nod of acknowledgement from regional and global observers, local elections garner some degree of attention. When it comes to high stakes and pulsating veins however, Africa’s presidential elections are rivaled only by the African Cup of Nations. Needless to say, presidential elections in Africa tend to be an all or nothing affair. Election Day comes with both anticipation and dread. Anticipation at the prospect of new opportunities and a renewed commitment towards national development, and dread at wh...

Hi Folks! It's been a month since my last blog and a lot has certainly happened within the span of those four weeks! Of course, it's gonna be hard to recap everything that went down, so instead I'll zone in on key events in the sphere of African democracy . As you probably know, 2012 is a big year for elections in Africa. There are over 10 presidential elections slated to take place and you can imagine how antsy the whole continent is. Elections are somewhat of a litmus test for democracy and overall advancement in many African countries, and both politicians and citizens tend to be on edge when it's time to head to the polls. So, what's happened so far? Well, we need not look further than the West African region where two neighboring countries - both with presidential elections this year - have embarked on strikingly different paths. Senegal: Le Teranga, Victorious & Proud Remember how Youssou Ndour was running for president? Yeah. Well, the Senegale...