Tunisia’s Saïed consolidates power with new constitution

Tunisia’s Saïed consolidates power with new constitution

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…

HRW warns of crackdown against Guinea opposition

HRW warns of crackdown against Guinea opposition

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…

Egypt’s referendum passes with 89 percent of vote

Egypt’s referendum passes with 89 percent of vote

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…

Egypt heads to polls on Sisi term limits

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…

Lesotho court rules criminal defamation violates constitution

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…

Rights group warns of violence over Burundi term limits vote

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…

Poll: Ugandans don’t want presidential age-limit change

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…

UN group to Kabila: Publish a DR Congo electoral calendar

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…