Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo is “not ready” to hold long-delayed elections in December, the main opposition party said Tuesday, the day after the army handed over 150 trucks and a dozen aircraft for use by the electoral commission. “One hundred fifty trucks can’t …
Read More »Transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner says regrets backing Trump
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Former Olympic US athlete and transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner has penned an op-ed voicing regret for backing President Donald Trump, and saying “I was wrong” about Trump’s commitment to LGBTQ rights. “Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to claim to support this …
Read More »DR Congo opposition parties agree to name unity candidate by mid-November
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s opposition parties agreed on Thursday to name a single unity candidate by mid-November to run against President Joseph Kabila’s choice in December elections. Tensions are running high before the long-delayed December 23 vote to chose a successor to Kabila, …
Read More »DRCongo opposition Kinshasa rally authorised for Friday – candidate
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s opposition will be allowed to hold a Kinshasa rally on Friday to protest against voting machines they fear will permit fraud in December’s key election, an opposition official said. Political tensions are rising in the DRC before the long-delayed …
Read More »Guinea-Bissau voter census extended, likely postponing vote
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | A voter census in Guinea-Bissau has been extended by a month, the government said Monday, likely delaying a crucial legislative vote planned for next month. The vote, seen as a key step towards ending a long-running political crisis in the poor West African country, had …
Read More »Mali’s top court postpones elections to 2019
Bamako, Mali | AFP | Mali’s constitutional court delayed the country’s parliamentary elections until 2019 by extending the mandate of MPs for six months, as requested by the National Assembly on Monday, according to the two institutions. Citing “force majeure” the court said it “extends the mandate of representatives until the …
Read More »Merkel’s Bavarian allies suffer historic election losses
Munich, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CSU allies suffered historic losses in Bavaria state elections Sunday, dealing a blow to her fragile three-party coalition government. The Christian Social Union (CSU) scored 37 percent, a steep 10-point drop from four years ago in the wealthy Alpine state it …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Rukungiri polls set for May 31, election presiding officer fired
Rukungiri polls set for May 31, election presiding officer fired Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ahead of the May 31 by- election for Rukungiri district woman MP, the returning officer who manned the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections has been fired. This came shortly after court annulled the polls. In …
Read More »Suicide attack on Kabul voter registration centre kills 48
Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | An Islamic State suicide bomber killed at least 48 people including women and children and wounded 112 outside a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday in the latest attack on election preparations. The assaults underscore growing concerns about security in the lead-up …
Read More »Former soldier Bio wins Sierra Leone vote
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger Julius Maada Bio secured his first term in office as a civilian Wednesday when he was declared the winner of a controversial presidential run-off — but his opponent vowed to contest the result. Bio, a former soldier who briefly …
Read More »