Political Risks |

Africa’s Biggest Democracy Fights Enduring Problem: Rigging

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – As Nigeria heads toward general elections in February, it’s in a race to stamp out the bane of the voting system in Africa’s biggest democracy: rigging. Ballot snatching and buying, underage and multiple voting, falsifying results and the suppression of turnout in opposition areas are among the abuses the National Assembly is trying to tackle with new legislation. The bill, passed last month, emerged from talks among the presidency,…

Tunisia’s Ruling Party Threatens to Quit Government Over `Coup’

Posted on by The Editorial Team

TUNIS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Tunisia’s ruling Nidaa Tounes party demanded on Thursday that its members pull out of the cabinet or face suspension after Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announced a partial reshuffle without consulting President Beji Caid Essebsi. The cabinet changes strengthened Chahed’s hand but deepened a rift with Essebsi as the government seeks to shore up support to tackle strong inflation and strained finances. Both men are members of Nidaa Tounes, which has informally splintered…

Nigeria’s Buhari Could Lose the 2019 Election, Teneo Says

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari could lose power in February’s election if the opposition manages to unite, according to New York-based analysis firm Teneo Intelligence. A close governorship election over the weekend in the south western state of Osun, currently held by Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, bodes badly for the ruling party and signals its waning popularity, Teneo said in a note to clients. While Nigeria’s electoral commission said there would be…

Unity Is Nigeria Opposition’s Key Hurdle in Defeating Buhari

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS(Capital Markets in Africa) – The floodgates have opened. At least 12 challengers are bidding to defeat Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in February’s elections, but their sheer number will strain the opposition’s ability to unite behind a single candidate to stand a chance of winning. With the president of Africa’s biggest oil producer facing discontent over security crises and an anemic economy, top candidates including Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kano state Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso are defectors…

Zimbabwe: Life After President Robert Mugabe

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – In early November 2017, Robert Mugabe was removed from power in what was effectively a bloodless coup. My wife, children and I joined a million people on the streets of Harare in a celebration of pent up joy and elation, the likes of which I can only imagine were equalled by the fall of the Berlin Wall. People were laughing, dancing, running in circles, waving pictures of the army…

Congo Opposition Will Back Single Presidential Candidate in Vote

Posted on by The Editorial Team

KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Opposition politicians in the Democratic Republic of Congo said they’ll back a single presidential candidate in this year’s election to maximize their chances of defeating the long-serving head of state’s chosen successor. Such an outcome would increase the prospect of opponents of President Joseph Kabila defeating his anointed replacement. The Dec. 23 vote is a one-round contest and multiple candidates would split the opposition vote. “The leaders of the opposition are…

Protests Erupt in Zimbabwe After Ruling Party Wins Landslide

Posted on by The Editorial Team

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Sporadic violence erupted in Zimbabwe’s capital after the ruling party secured a landslide win in the first parliamentary election of the post-Robert Mugabe era that Western observer groups said was marred by abuses. The verdict by monitors from the European Union and the U.S. is likely to dent President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s drive to attract investors to rebuild the southern African nation, which is still reeling from two decades of misrule and…

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