Electioneering Period and the LGBTQI+ Vote in Kenya

Kenya’s general election is slowly gearing up, with the elections slated for 9th August 2022. Any electioneering period in the country has always been marred with cases of violence, and…

On a difficult mission – Somalia elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president

COMMENT René Brosius 10 June 2022 In the evening of 8 February 2017, it was clear: Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed also known as “Farmaajo” is Somalia’s 9th president. People in Mogadishu…

Light and Shadow in Somalia – How Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a and the Elections are Connected

ANALYSIS René Brosius 12 November 2021 The latest news from Somalia could not be contradictory. On the one hand, the first democratic “one person, one vote” elections since 1969 took…

House of Cards in Villa Somalia

ANALYSIS René Brosius 17 September 2021 In April 2021, after Somalia was on the brink of civil war, it seemed for a long time that the solution would be found…

Constitutional Crisis in Somalia – Democratic, Free and Fair Elections?

ANALYSIS René Brosius 10 February 2021 The upcoming presidential elections in Somalia are dominated by the debate on free and fair elections, a debate that brought the country to the…

Somalia before the elections – From democratic election to dangerous selection process

ANALYSIS René Brosius 22 January 2021 On 9 January 2021, Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble surprised everyone by announcing that the planned elections would only be held in certain…

The Rules of the Game – How the Elections in Uganda are won

COMMENT Carsten Möller 14 January 2021 The rulebook of the popular card game “Munchkin” includes only a few rules. One states, “Any other disputes should be settled by loud arguments,…

Presidential Elections in Uganda – Of Bobi Wine and ‘the struggle’

ANALYSIS Diana Kisakye 13 January 2021 On January 14th 2021, 76-year-old President Yoweri Museveni will face his most-unexpected rival thus far, 38-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine. The musician-cum-politician…

Presidential Elections in Kenya and Malawi – Some Comparative Reflections

ANALYSIS Laura Radzey 13 November 2020 The right to vote is fundamental for any democratic state. Yet simply holding elections is not sufficient if the standards of free, fair and…