Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Now that Muhammadu Buhari has ended months of suspense over whether he will seek re-election as Nigeria’s president, all eyes are on the ruling party to see whether it will give him a clear shot at the nation’s top job. Buhari made history in 2015 …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari ignores health concerns, to run for re-election
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared Monday he would seek re-election next year, in a move that put an end to months of speculation. “President @Buhari has just announced his intention to seek the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and contest for a …
Read More »Delayed elections in November: Chad’s President Deby
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad’s legislative elections, originally due to take place in 2015, “should take place in November”, President Idriss Deby told opposition parties Friday, state radio reported. Deby, named in a US corruption probe, had already promised earlier that the elections would finally take place this year. The …
Read More »‘Millions’ of duplicates on DR Congo vote register: watchdog
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Millions of duplicates have been found among people registered to vote in Democratic Republic of Congo elections slated for December, the head of the country’s electoral commission told AFP Thursday. “We were able to register around 46 million voters,” Corneille Nangaa said, a day …
Read More »Nigeria ex-president ‘unaware’ of Cambridge Analytica campaign role
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian former President Goodluck Jonathan “wasn’t aware” of any use of Cambridge Analytica in his 2015 bid for re-election, his spokesman said Thursday. The Nigerian government is probing claims that Cambridge Analytica, a British-based political consultancy, illegally used Facebook data in past election campaigns. In …
Read More »Egypt’s Sisi sweeps vote with 97 percent, turnout down
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi swept to a second term with 97 percent of valid votes, official results showed Monday, dominating an election last week that saw him face no serious rivals. The head of the election authority Lasheen Ibrahim said at a press conference that …
Read More »West African bloc satisfied’ with S. Leone vote
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | The West African bloc ECOWAS declared itself “satisfied” with Sierra Leone’s run-off presidential vote, as vote counting continued Sunday, while noting intimidating levels of security at some polling stations. The second round vote pitted challenger Julius Maada Bio of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s …
Read More »DR Congo main opposition to be led by founder’s son
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s main opposition party on Saturday chose the son of its founder, a historic opposition figure, as its leader and presidential candidate in long delayed polls due at the end of the year. The Union for Democracy and Social Progress …
Read More »Sierra Leone votes in delayed presidential run-off
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Voting began Saturday in Sierra Leone in the final round of a delayed run-off presidential election after a campaign marked by verbal sparring, sporadic violence and a last-minute legal battle. A wafer-thin margin separated the two frontrunners after the first round on March 7, …
Read More »Egypt’s Sisi wins second term with 92% of vote: state media
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term with about 92 percent of the vote, preliminary results showed on Thursday, with just over 40 percent of voters casting ballots. Twenty-five million of the 60 million registered voters, or some 41.5 percent, …
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