Tag Archives: democracy

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Days before the first round of Tunisia’s presidential election, the fledgling democracy on Saturday began three nights of televised debates between the candidates, a rare event in the Arab world. The showdown between the 26 hopefuls over three nights is seen as the highlight of the …

Why governance standards set in the West and imposed on poor countries are dangerous THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Last week, a friend posted on a social media platform an article by a US scholar about life in a democracy and an autocracy as imagined by Americans! …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  The United States Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac has tasked government to come up with Concrete actions against the  violence of women in the country. Malac made the remarks at the celebration of the 243rd anniversary of the independence of the United States of America …

We should build systems that make us accountable to each other, just as governments account to citizens  Project Syndicate | Sasha Fisher | For over a decade now, we have witnessed more elections and, simultaneously, less democracy. According to Bloomberg, elections have been occurring more frequently around the world. Yet …

The claim that democracy fares better in the West than in Africa is a mistake | STEVEN FRIEDMAN | One day, if they follow instructions, Africa’s new democracies will grow up to be “real” like those of Western Europe and North America. This assumption makes little sense – but it …

  Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s upcoming presidential elections are the sixth to be held since civilian rule was restored in 1999 and the first to involve voters with no experience of military government. AFP spoke to some first-time voters in Africa’s most populous country to find out what …

`The real test of democracy is when an incumbent party or candidate or both lose an election and power’ NRM programme point No.1: Democracy Moses Khisa is a Political scientist and Assistant Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs at North Carolina State University. He …

Kampala, Uganda | NIC CHEESEMAN | Africa is often imagined to be a place in which presidents can do whatever they want, unencumbered by constitutional or democratic constraints. A large body of literature has developed around the idea that the law can be flouted at will, leading to a situation …

Why it is a loss for any democracy Kampala, Uganda | GLENDA DANIELS | The newspaper industry in many countries is in the doldrums. Retrenchments have become the norm with experienced journalists who specialise in a particular reporting area – known as “beat reporting” – are among the first to …

Taking democratic temperature as a dozen countries prepare for polls Kampala, Uganda | JOHN J STREMLAU | Visiting Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand More than a dozen national elections will be held across Africa next year. All 55 members of the African Union (AU) are obligated to hold …