August is set to be a busy month with no less than three presidential polls in Africa
August is set to be a busy month with no less than three presidential polls in Africa.
The first will see Rwandans elect their leader, though some feel it’s a one-horse race.
A 2015 referendum allowed incumbent Paul Kagame to run for a third term.
He’s expected to win another landslide victory. Only one opposition party has registered to challenge the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front.
Kagame has been credited with transforming Rwanda into a prosperous and stable country following the 1994 genocide.
Four days later, all eyes turn to Kenya. That vote will once again see President Uhuru Kenyatta pitted against former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
High turnout in opposition strongholds could lead to a run-off. Preparations for the poll have been marred by violent opposition-led protests against the country’s electoral commission. Corruption and security will be key issues during the election period.
The run-up to Angola’s elections hasn’t been smooth either. In June, some 4,000 Angolans marched through the capital Luanda to demand a fair election.
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is stepping down after 38 years in power. His party wants him replaced by defense minister Joao Lourenco. Dos Santos’s rule saw the end of civil war and an investment boom in the oil-rich country.
But his government has been criticised for crushing dissent and amassing wealth while many Angolans live in poverty.
Liberia is set to hold its presidential election in October. Incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state, is stepping down after a second term. George Weah, a retired footballer, has announced he’ll run for a second time.
Jewel Howard Taylor, a senator and former wife of ex-president Charles Taylor, who was convicted of war crimes, is also set to vie for the presidency.
The newly-elected government will have to repair the country’s economy, which was devastated by the 2013 Ebola outbreak. And the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to delay overdue elections. Incumbent Joseph Kabila refused to step down at the end of his final two-term mandate last December.
A power-sharing agreement on New Year’s Eve was to see him remain in office until elections at the end of this year.
Kabila though says the country simply can’t afford to hold the vote. The opposition accuses him of clinging to power. The electoral commission says it will likely delay the election until next year.
