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Ghana becomes record fifth African nation to take over from ruling party this year
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Ghana’s vote brings to an end a remarkable 12 months in African politics, which have seen five transfers of power – more than ever before. This “annus horribilis” for governments has now also brought opposition victories in Botswana, Mauritius, Senegal and the self-declared republic of Somaliland.
Even beyond these results, almost every election held in the region this year under reasonably democratic conditions, has seen the governing party lose a significant number of seats.
This trend has been driven by a combination of factors:
*the economic downturn
*growing public intolerance of corruption
*and the emergence of increasingly assertive and well-co-ordinated opposition parties.
The trend is likely to continue into 2025, and will cause trouble for leaders such as Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, whose country goes to the polls in September.
One of the most striking aspect of the elections that have taken place in 2024 is that many have resulted in landslide defeats for governments that have previously appeared to have a strong grip on power – including in countries that have never before experienced a change at the top.
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that had ruled the country since independence in 1966 was crushed in October’s general elections.
As well as losing power, the BDP went from holding 38 seats in the 69-strong parliament to almost being wiped out.
After winning only four seats, the BDP is now one of the smallest parties in parliament, and faces an uphill battle to remain politically relevant.
There was also a landslide defeat for the governing party in Mauritius in November, where the Alliance Lepep coalition, headed by Pravind Jagnauth of the Militant Socialist Movement, won only 27% of the vote and was reduced to just two seats in parliament.
With its rival Alliance du Changement sweeping 60 of the 66 seats available, Mauritius has experienced one of the most complete political transformations imaginable.
Senegal and the self-declared republic of Somaliland also saw opposition victories.
In the case of Senegal, the political turnaround was just as striking as in Botswana, albeit in a different way.
Just weeks ahead of the election, the main opposition leaders Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko were languishing in jail as the government of President Macky Sall abused its power in a desperate bid to avert defeat.
After growing domestic and international pressure led to Faye and Sonko being released, Faye went on to win the presidency in the first round of voting, with the government’s candidate winning only 36% of the vote.
Even in cases where governments have not lost, their reputation and political control have been severely dented.
South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) retained power but only after a bruising campaign that saw it fall below 50% of the vote in a national election for the first time since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.
This forced President Cyril Ramaphosa to enter into a coalition government, giving up 12 cabinet posts to other parties, including powerful positions such as home affairs.
The recent elections in Namibia told a similar story. Although the ruling party retained power, the opposition has rejected the results and claims the poll was badly manipulated after it was marred by logistical problems and irregularities.
Even with the flaws, the government suffered in the parliamentary election, recording its worst-ever performance, losing 12 of its 63 seats and only just holding on to its parliamentary majority.
As a result, a region that is known more for governments that manage to hold on to power for decades has seen 12 months of vibrant, intensely contested, multiparty politics.
The only exceptions to this have been countries where elections were seen as neither free nor fair, such as Chad and Rwanda, or in which governments were accused by opposition and rights groups of resorting to a combination of rigging and repression to avert defeat, as in Mozambique.
Three trends have combined to make it a particularly difficult year to be in power.
In Botswana, Mauritius and Senegal, growing citizen concern about corruption and the abuse of power eroded government credibility.
Opposition leaders were then able to play on popular anger at nepotism, economic mismanagement and the failure of leaders to uphold the rule of law to expand their support base.
Especially in Mauritius and Senegal, the party in power also undermined its claim to be a government committed to respecting political rights and civil liberties – a dangerous misstep in countries where the vast majority of citizens are committed to democracy, and which have previously seen opposition victories.
The perception that governments were mishandling the economy was particularly important because many people experienced a tough year financially.
High food and fuel prices have increased the cost of living for millions of citizens, increasing their frustration with the status quo.
In addition to underpinning some of the government defeats this year, economic anThis is not an African phenomenon, of course, but a global one.
Popular discontent over inflation played a role in the defeat of Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party in the UK and the victory of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the United States.
What was perhaps more distinctive about the transfers of power in Africa this year was the way that opposition parties learned from the past.
In some cases, such as Mauritius, this meant developing new ways to try and protect the vote by ensuring every stage of the electoral process was carefully watched.
In others, it meant forging new coalitions to present the electorate with a united front.
In Botswana, for example, three opposition parties and a number of independent candidates came together under the banner of the Umbrella for Democratic Change to comprehensively out-mobilise the BDP.
A similar set of trends is likely to make life particularly difficult for leaders that have to go to the polls next year, such as Malawi’s President Chakwera, who is also struggling to overcome rising public anger at the state of the economy.
With the defeat of the NPP in Ghana, Africa has seen five transfers of power in 12 months. The previous record was four opposition victories, which occurred some time ago in 2000.
That so many governments are being given an electoral bloody nose against a backdrop of global democratic decline that has seen a rise in authoritarianism in some regions is particularly striking.
It suggests that Africa has much higher levels of democratic resilience than is often recognised, notwithstanding the number of entrenched authoritarian regimes that continue to exist.
Civil society groups, opposition parties and citizens themselves have mobilised in large numbers to demand accountability, and punish governments that have failed both economically and democratically.
International governments, organisations, and activists looking for new ways to defend democracy around the world should pay more attention to a region that is often assumed to be an inhospitable environment for multiparty politics, yet has seen more examples of democratic bounce-back than other regions of the world.
BBC
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran, expanding Washington’s secondary sanctions threats and warning of dire consequences for countries that decline to join the pressure campaign.
Bessent’s address comes almost six months into a war on Tehran that has ground to a stalemate, with stalled peace talks and Iran preventing most traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
“Around the globe, our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” Bessent told a press conference.
“We are going to hold everyone accountable, and this is economic asphyxiation of this regime.”
He added that countries not joining US sanctions would “share in the isolation” of Iran, and noted that Trump is making phone calls to world leaders with requests to stop their interactions with Tehran.
The Treasury Department said Monday that it has “issued determinations against five critical sectors — digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping — that the Iranian regime uses to try to prop up its failing economy.”
Bessent, meanwhile, vowed that any entity “that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the US dollar system.”
Asked if Chinese banks dealing with Iran could be targeted, Bessent said “no one is above the reach of US sanctions.”
The Treasury chief earlier declared that an “economic D-Day” had begun against Tehran, in a column for the Financial Times.
The United States and Israel triggered the Middle East war with a massive wave of bombing against Iran on February 28, sparking Iranian retaliation across the region.
AFP
Abia State Government has said it has commenced the payment of gratuities to deserving beneficiaries, and also resolved issues that led to the strike in Abia State University, Uturu.
Briefing newsmen on Monday on the outcome of the state Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti, the state Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said that this was following the state government committee set up to midwife the payment process of gratuities in the state,
He said that upon review of records from the State Pensions Board and Local Government Pensions Board, the committee determined the total outstanding gratuity liability to be N61.8 billion, covering both state and local government retirees.
“So if you have to do a summary of the outstanding gratuities between 2001 and 2010, it was N7.2 billion. Between 2011 and 2023, ending May 2023, May 29, 2023, it was N43.6 billion. May 30, 2023 to the present is N10.9 billion. That’s how the total of N61.8 billion came about.
“So in consideration of the magnitude of the liability, the committee examined several payment scenarios. Having in consideration as follows, the impact of the lengthy delay on the lives of pensioners, the obligation of government as a continuum, the limitations to the capacity of government to meet the established obligations while maintaining the momentum, gains in restoring our state, and the efficacy of the process.
“The committee therefore recommended that the total annual financial impact, 2026 to 2031, be fully provided in the state’s medium-term expenditure framework and subsequent yearly budgets to ensure steady implementation and to avoid further accumulation of gratuity arrears.
“That payments should be made directly to verified beneficiaries through a dedicated gratuity payment platform linked to the state’s treasury single account, TSA”, Prince Kanu Informed.
The commissioner also stated that following the intervention of the state SSG-led committee set up by the state governor, the issues that led to the strike in Abia State University, Uturu, have now been resolved.
“And it’s important to emphasise that before that action, the Governor of the State, Alex Otti, had approved the asset demands way back in April 2026. So the subsequent delay was, therefore, not a matter of government’s unwillingness or refusal to meet those demands, but rather an issue arising from administrative and implementation processes”, the commissioner said.
“In particular, outstanding check-off dues have been paid. And a new salary scale, consolidated academic teaching allowance, ASCATA, and other related payments have been addressed and will be paid with the August 2026 salary of the affected workers. And the August salary of those workers is expected to drop any time soon, maybe within this week.
“The new salary scale for other staff at the Abia State University has also been processed and will be paid this month, this August. Consequently, it is safe to assume that all the issues regarding action by ASUU have been concluded or resolved.
Otti’s administration, he said, remains committed to constructive engagement with ASUU and other organised labour unions, while ensuring that workers’ welfare remains a priority of the Administration, stating that the issue of a suspended lecturer by the university remains the school’s internal matter.
Osun State Government has formally received the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, with Governor Ademola Adeleke urging him to reform the state police command and secure the release of persons he described as political detainees.
Zungura, who assumed office in Osun on Monday, visited the governor alongside senior officers of the command. During the meeting, he pledged to collaborate with the state government to strengthen peace, stability and public confidence in the police.
The engagement took place amid lingering tensions between the Adeleke administration and the police, particularly during the period leading up to and following the August 15 governorship election.
Speaking at the meeting, Zungura assured the governor that his administration of the command would be impartial and focused on resolving security challenges across the state.
“I promise to work with the state government for peace and stability of the state. I will be fair to all, and I will prove my commitment in the next few weeks. Osun is a peaceful state, and we will work to address all outstanding issues,” he said.
Adeleke, however, said peace had not been completely restored following the election and tasked the new police commissioner with rebuilding public confidence in the command.
The governor cited a recent police operation in Ikire, where two people were reportedly killed, and alleged that the Divisional Police Officer in the area had been implicated.
“Based on all details of the attacks, I request immediate commencement of disciplinary action against the DPO. He has become a threat to the people he was posted to protect,” Adeleke said.
The governor presented five key demands which he said were necessary to restore peace and normalcy to Osun’s political environment.
His first demand was for the new CP to rebuild public confidence by ensuring that police officers discharge their duties professionally, impartially and with greater consideration for the public.
Adeleke also called for stronger collaboration between the state government and the police command, maintaining that his administration was asking for “no favour other than fair policing.”
He further urged Zungura to overhaul the command’s internal operations and tackle units he alleged had either been compromised or developed a reputation for political bias.
“I know you will be worried that Osun people see certain police units as the home base of APC thugs. There is a need to dissolve many police operational units because they have been compromised,” he said.
The governor also demanded that the police fully participate in meetings of the State Security Council, claiming that the former commissioner was last present at one of the meetings in 2024.
Adeleke’s final demand was the release of members of the Accord Party whom he identified as political detainees, alongside an end to what he described as politically motivated arrests of the party’s members.
“I also call for the release of several Accord members arrested and indeterminate as political detainees. Further arrests of our members should also stop,” Adeleke said.
The governor assured the new police leadership of his administration’s willingness to assist the command, but stressed that government support would not come with political conditions.
“Our government is ready to support police operations without any strings attached. What we seek is fair policing,” he said.
Zungura’s deployment to Osun followed the transfer of the state’s former substantive Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, amid questions surrounding the neutrality of the command in the run-up to the governorship election.
Adeleke, who won a second term in the August 15 poll, said his administration was ready to extend an olive branch to all parties and stakeholders in the state.
“Osun deserves peace. Osun deserves justice. Osun deserves a police command that enjoys the confidence of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation,” he said.
“Let us work together to heal our state, rebuild trust and give peace a permanent home in Osun.”
US Treasury chief vows to cut every ‘economic lifeline’ of Iran
Abia begins payment of gratuities, resolves ABSU strike issues
Adeleke receives new Osun CP, demands release of detainees
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