Ethiopia: What Next after Abiy Ahmed's Election Victory?

 African Business published on 23 June 2026 an article titled "Where Next for Ethiopia after Abiy Ahmed's Landslide?" by Harry Clynch.

Following the landslide victory by Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party in national elections, the article suggests Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will push for deeper centralization of government power, an acceleration of economic reform, and a continuing effort to obtain access to the sea for landlocked Ethiopia.

Xi Jinping Congratulates Tanzanian President after Flawed Election

 China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on 6 November 2025 a statement titled "Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to Samia Suluhu Hassan on Her Assuming Office as President of Tanzania."

President Hassan received 97 percent of the vote in a highly flawed election that even an African Union monitoring team concluded "did not comply with AU principles."  There were also numerous deaths following the voting.  While Xi Jinping did not comment on the election, he said China looks forward to advancing "the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights."

Somaliland Election

 The Voice of America published on 15 November 2024 an article titled "Western Diplomats Urge Somaliland Leaders to Accept Election Results" by Harun Maruf.

Although the ballot counting process is not finished, Western diplomats who monitored the 13 November election in Somaliland urged the three presidential candidates and their supporters to accept the results.  The observers said the election was peaceful although polling stations in some parts of Somaliland did not open because of conflict.  

South Africa's Freedom Front Plus Deputy Leader Discusses Election & Foreign Policy

 The Hudson Institute posted on May 17, 2024, a conversation between South Africa's deputy leader of the Freedom Front Plus political party, Corne Mulder, and Joshua Meservey.

South Africa's Freedom Front Plus (FF+) political party is one of four in the country that has ten or more seats in Parliament.  It began as an Afrikaner party and subsequently added minority groups across South Africa.  It functions in opposition to the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

At about minute 38, the discussion turns to foreign policy where Mulder provides the FF+ view of the ANC's approach to relations with the West and especially the United States.  He argues that the ANC is hostile to Washington and has fallen under the influence of China, Russia, and Iran.  

Disruption of South Sudan's Oil Threatens Regime

 Aljazeera published on 26 March 2024 an article titled "South Sudan on the Brink after Oil Exports Derailed by Sudan's Civil War" by Mat Nashed.

All oil produced in South Sudan passes through war torn Sudan where it is exported from the Red Sea at Port Sudan. The oil pipeline was damaged last month in an area controlled by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  It has not been possible to repair the pipeline because of ongoing fighting, raising fears that South Sudan's economy could collapse.

The pipeline accounts for as much as three-quarters of South Sudan's oil revenue, which, in turn, accounts for 90 percent of the country's revenue.  Most of the oil revenue supports the ruling leadership in Juba, which faces elections in December.  

Somalia: Puntland Election Has Plusses and Minuses

 The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 12 March 2024 a commentary titled "Lessons from the Missed Opportunity in Puntland's Polls."

A recent election in Somalia's state of Puntland was peaceful but the ICG concluded it missed an opportunity by pursuing a clan-based indirect voting model rather than universal suffrage.

China Competes with Kenya and Five Others for Head of International Maritime Organization

 Lloyd's List published on 3 April 2023 an article titled "IMO Leadership Race Wide Open as China and Finland Vie for Power" by Richard Meade.

The International Maritime Organization will hold an election in July for the position of secretary general to head the group.  Candidates from China, Kenya, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Panama, Dominica, and Finland are seeking the position.  

Somalia: Challenges for a New President

 The International Crisis Group published on 31 May 2022 a commentary titled "A Welcome Chance for a Reset in Somalia" by Omar Mahmood.

The author looks at the challenges facing newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and makes some suggestions for dealing with those challenges.  

Somalia Elects New President as Al-Shabaab Continues Hold on Much of Country

 The New York Times published on 15 May 2022 an article titled "Somalia Elects New President, But Terrorists Hold True Power" by Abdi Latif Dahir.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who served as president of Somalia between 2012 and 2017, was selected on 15 May by 328 members of parliament to replace President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.  He defeated 3 dozen candidates after 3 rounds of voting.  His first challenge will be confronting the al-Shabaab terrorist organization, which continues to impose its grip on parts of Somalia.  

Ethiopia: Elections Postponed in Somali Region

 Ethiopia Insight posted on 11 June 2021 a commentary titled "New Faces, Old Problems: Reforms, Clans and Parties in Ethiopia's Somali Region" by Abdirahman Ahmed, Jigjiga University.  

The author discusses party, personality and clan dynamics in Somali Region in the runup to Ethiopia's parliamentary elections scheduled for later this month.  

The day before this commentary appeared, Ethiopia announced that elections in Somali Region will be postponed until September, citing irregularities and problems with the printing of ballots.

Somalia Sliding towards Violence

 The International Crisis Group published on 27 April 2021 an analysis titled "Why Somalia's Electoral Crisis Has Tipped into Violence" by Omar Mahmood.

The author argues that Somalia is teetering on the brink of a major breakdown once again.  The latest fighting has the potential to return the country to civil conflict, undoing fragile gains made over the past decade and a half.  

Ethiopia: A Census before Elections?

 Ethiopia Insight posted on 1 January 2021  a commentary titled "Before Tallying Votes, We Must Count People" by Worku Burayu, who specializes in Oromo affairs.  

Ethiopia has scheduled national elections for 5 June 2021.  Ethiopia's last census was conducted in 2007.  The author argues that a census must be done before the election takes place to guarantee accurate regional representation.  

Ethiopia: Election in Tigray Region

 Ethiopia Insight posted on 9 September 2020 a commentary titled "Can Tigray's Election Serve as a Beacon of Ethiopian Democracy?" by Abreha Gebrearegawi Hagos, Mekelle University.

The commentary provides a useful summary of the positions of the five competing political parties in Tigray:  TPLF, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Baytona, Tigray Independence Party, and Asimba Democratic Party.  

Kenya Headed for Disastrous Election

Foreign Policy published on 23 October 2017 a commentary titled "Kenya Braces for a Disaster of an Election" by Nanjala Nyabola.

The author argues that if the election goes forward on 26 October it has the possibility of destabilizing Kenya.

Kenya's Presidential Election

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 2 October 2017 a commentary titled "How to Ensure a Credible, Peaceful Presidential Vote in Kenya."

The ICG argues that it is essential the election take place by the 1 November 2017 deadline. In addition, both political parties must accept important electoral reforms worked out with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

Kenya's Election: Failure of Technology or Governance?

World Politics Review published on 3 October 2017 an analysis titled "Is Kenya's Election Debacle a Failure of Technology or Good Governance?" by Jeffrey Smith, executive director of Vanguard Africa, and Arthur Gwagwa, Sub-Saharan Africa Cyber Regionalism and Elections project.

The authors suggest the argument that technological challenges doomed the Kenyan election overlooks the lack of good governance and respect for democratic rights in Kenya, which caused the election to fall well short of democratic standards in the first place.

Rerun of Kenya's Presidential Election

The International Crisis Group published on 2 October 2017 a brief titled "How to Ensure a Credible, Peaceful Presidential Vote in Kenya."

Following the surprise annulment of August's presidential election, Kenya must hold a new election by 1 November. But rising tensions and the threat of a boycott by Raila Odinga's National Super Alliance could result in missing the vote's deadline and risk a constitutional crisis.

Kenya's Historic New Election

Foreign Policy published on 1 September 2017 an article titled "In Unprecedented Reversal, Kenya's Top Court Throws Out Election Result" by Ty McCormick.

Kenya's Supreme Court has invalidated due to vote counting irregularities Kenya's recent election that resulted in a victory for incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has accepted the Court's decision. A new election is to take place within 60 days.

Reaction to Kenya's Election

The Atlantic Council published on 14 August 2017 a commentary titled "The Kenyan Elections: Too Soon to Relax" by Bronwyn Bruton, Atlantic Council's Africa Center.

The author noted, perhaps perversely, that the recurrence of post-election violence is a testament to the strength rather than the weakness of Kenya's democracy when compared to wining outcomes in the high ninety percentiles in certain other countries.

African Arguments published on 18 August 2017 a commentary titled "Kenya Voted for Change and Got It . . . at the Local Level" by Hannah Waddilove, University of Warwick.

The author points out that while the incumbent president was reelected, over half of Kenya's incumbent governors and 62 percent of its members in the National Assembly lost their seats.

Kenya after the Presidential Election

World Politics Review published on 17 August 2017 a commentary titled "Kenya's Presidential Election Avoided the Worst, but Tensions Still Simmer" by Julian Hattem, journalist based in Uganda.

The author concludes that while the ghost of nationwide unrest failed to materialize after Kenya's presidential election, ethnic divisions and mistrust still haunt Kenya's political system.