Washington, United States | AFP | The Republican candidate for a vacant US Senate seat initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was practicing law, the victim, now a grown woman, said in an explosive report Thursday. Candidate Roy Moore of Alabama was facing calls to step …
Read More »Odinga: Kenya moving toward ‘outright dictatorship’
Washington, United States | AFP | Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga sharply criticized the role of Western diplomats and election observers in the recent presidential vote and warned Thursday that the country is moving toward “outright dictatorship.” Odinga boycotted the presidential election held in September and has termed it a “sham.” …
Read More »DR Congo says election pressure due to foreign ‘greed’ for cobalt
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday said foreign “greed” for its cobalt lay behind the “malicious” pressures weighing on the country’s electoral process. The DRC is in the grip of a crisis over plans to hold presidential elections, which were delayed by President Joseph …
Read More »Liberian parties eye anti-Weah front: ruling party chairman
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Four parties on Tuesday discussed a “merger” to bolster Vice President Joseph Boakai in his fight against former international football star George Weah for Liberia’s presidency, a senior party official said. The talks took place on the day that a runoff vote between the two men, …
Read More »‘Election was designed to be rigged’: Liberian vice-president
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Vice-President has quietly occupied the executive backseat for 12 years, but in light of electoral fraud he believes snatched away his chance at the presidency, Joseph Boakai is unleashing himself. Known as Sleepy Joe for his propensity to fall asleep at public events, the second-in-command …
Read More »DR Congo vote date: What’s at stake?
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Democratic Republic of Congo has said elections to replace President Joseph Kabila will take place by December 2018, a year later than scheduled. Following is an explanation why the decision is so important for DRC’s political crisis: – Election deal – A mineral-rich country a …
Read More »US tells DR Congo to stick to election timetable
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Monday backed plans by the Democratic Republic of Congo to hold elections in December 2018 and warned President Joseph Kabila must stick to the timeline. The election commission in Kinshasa announced on Sunday that the long-awaited presidential, legislative, regional and …
Read More »Liberia Supreme Court indefinitely delays presidential vote
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered the country’s electoral commission to resolve a fraud complaint lodged by an opposition party before a scheduled runoff vote for the presidency can be held. Supreme Court Chief Justice Francis Korkpor said the National Elections Commission (NEC) was prohibited “from …
Read More »Liberia holds breath as court rules on presidential vote
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberians nervously awaited a Supreme Court ruling Monday on the timing of a runoff presidential vote after the process was thrown into uncertainty by fraud allegations. The court is expected to rule at 10 am (1000 GMT) whether to set a new date or to prolong …
Read More »What’s next for Kenya?
Kenya in chaos: With broken institutions and a reeling opposition, what’s next for Kenya? ANALYSIS | Dominic Burbidge | I remember walking through the rubble of burnt out buildings some months after Kenya’s 2008 post-election violence. Houses owned by ethnic Kikuyu were razed to the ground in the city of Kisumu. …
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