Tunisian voters have approved a new constitution by referendum vote, one that further consolidates power for President Kaïs Saïed despite concerns from the political opposition over the future of the country’s democracy. The Tunisian government said that 94.6% of voters approved the measure, with turnout low in part because of…
At least 20 protests organized by opposition activists in Guinea have been shut down under a ban that began in July 2018, and as the nation heads toward 2020 presidential elections, the Human Rights Watch organization is calling on its leaders to assure democratic space is protected. Security forces have…
In Egypt, a referendum has passed that will allow President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to extend his current term until 2024, and remain eligible for another term that could see him in office until 2030. The National Election Authority said Tuesday that the referendum on constitutional amendments passed with a decisive…
Egyptians head to the polls on Saturday to begin three days of voting on a referendum that would allow President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to extend his current term until 2024, and remain eligible for another term that could see him in office until 2030. The National Election Authority set the…
At the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) headquarters in Kinshasa, the anti-Kabila banners came down this weekend. At the same time, a new video – its content and style appearing very much like campaign material – has suddenly appeared in support of President Joseph Kabila in the Democratic Republic of…
At a time when press freedoms are under fire in many African nations, the small southern kingdom of Lesotho took a big step forward this week as the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that criminal defamation – in this case involving a journalist – is unconstitutional. The case centered on publisher…
Human rights activist Germain Rukuki of Burundi has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for rebellion, threatening state security and other charges. The decision comes ahead of next month’s vote on a a constitutional referendum that will allow the nation’s presidents to extend terms in office. Rukuki, a member…
In December 2017, President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi traveled to the town of Bugendana to launch his campaign for a national referendum that would change the small African nation’s constitution. It would allow for multiple seven-year terms in office – terms that he would be eligible to serve through 2034 if…
It wouldn’t be the first time that the Government of Botswana and its outgoing President Ian Khama pressed for change in a neighboring African country. Khama provoked Robert Mugabe, the ossified former leader of Zimbabwe, on more than one occasion by publicly calling on him to step down and accused…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Ian Khama is completing a farewell tour of Botswana as he prepares to leave office at the end of March – and he’s been using the opportunity to criticize other African leaders for their failure to step down in keeping with their constitutions and the will of the people….
The West African nation of Gabon receives a dubious distinction in the new Freedom in the World 2018 report, released Tuesday by the Freedom House organization in the United States. The country led by President Ali Bongo saw the sharpest one-year decline of any in the world on measures of…
President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza has launched his campaign on a national referendum that would change the constitution to allow for multiple seven-year terms in office – terms that he would be eligible to serve through 2034 if the changes go into effect. Nkurunziza appeared Tuesday before throngs of Burundians…
The political opposition in Gabon is speaking out against proposed constitutional revisions drafted by the government of President Ali Bongo, changes that follow the months of national dialogue meant to resolve the country’s political instability. Zacharie Myboto, president of the National Union party, issued a statement Saturday warning that the…
Voters in Uganda support an existing age limit for presidential candidates by a wide margin, according to poll results released by Afrobarometer over the weekend. The survey teams interviewed 1,200 Ugandans in late December and early January, the Ghana-based organization said. They found that 75 percent of voters favored keeping…
President Joseph Kabila, whose term as president of Democratic Republic of Congo expired last December, shows no signs of moving toward the delayed presidential elections he has refused to hold. He has shrugged off any commitment to a December 31 power-sharing deal with the country’s Rassemblement political opposition coalition, one…