Elections in Africa, Between Continuity and Disruptions

Nigeria’s street protests placed governance issues back at the centre stage in Africa. 2020 is proving a crucial year for democratic processes across the continent. Seriously affected by the impact of the pandemic, democracy around the world is facing new challenges and threats: looking at the forthcoming elections in Africa thus becomes more urgent than ever. While the Covid-19 crisis led to the postponement of critical elections – notably, the long-awaited ones in Ethiopia and Somalia – elsewhere voting processes have not been halted. After Togo, Burundi, and Malawi – here a democratic turnover took place – many other African countries will go to the polls over the next few weeks, from Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso to Ghana and Tanzania. How are these countries approaching the vote in the midst of the pandemic? Will the elections contribute to advancing democratic practices or else simply strengthen the power of incumbents?