AFRICA – October was a difficult election month in Africa

Rome – Recent elections in Africa have triggered a series of protests in the countries where they were held. In two cases, outgoing leaders, both over eighty years old, were re-elected amid allegations of electoral fraud and protests from the population, which consists largely of very young people.
The presidential elections in Ivory Coast on October 25 were preceded by high tensions, as several opposition candidates, including former President Laurent Gbagbo , had been barred from running. Incumbent Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara was re-elected with almost 90% of the vote, with irregularities reported in about 2% of polling stations across the country. The election was also marred by violence, particularly in several cities in the country’s central-western region.
A total of eleven people have died since mid-October, according to civil society and authorities, including three in Nahio on election day during clashes between voters and boycott supporters.
In Cameroon, 92-year-old Paul Biya was elected president for the eighth time on October 12, though the election was marred by serious irregularities, according to the opposition and several external observers. Protests by a predominantly young population seeking a change of government took place in several cities, but these have since been suspended.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister who switched to the opposition, claimed victory in the presidential election, but the Supreme Court rejected his declaration.
Finally, in Tanzania, the outgoing president, 65-year-old Samia Suluhu Hassan, was re-elected on October 29: also a disputed victory, as the main opposition candidates had been barred from the presidential race.
The main opposition party, Chadema, was barred from the race for refusing to sign the electoral code. The party had called for a boycott of the elections. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, was arrested in April and is on trial for treason, a crime punishable by death in Tanzania. The only other serious opposition candidate, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT Wazalendo party, was barred on procedural grounds.
The election climate was further poisoned by a series of kidnappings that terrorized the population. Protests also erupted in Tanzania, prompting the government to shut down the internet, impose a curfew, and deploy the army to patrol the streets.

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