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Follow-up to the recent elections in Africa

The African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit at Maat Foundation followed up the elections that took place at the end of last year 2020 and early 2021, and publishes its observations and comments in the following infographic:

First: Central African Republic elections:

President Faustin-Archang Toudera was reelected after receiving 54% of votes during the elections held Sunday 27 December 2020, amid opposition criticism that the elections witnessed massive irregularities.

Sixteen candidates ran in the election race, including 3 women. To win the position of president, an absolute majority of votes 50 % +1 is required. If this condition is not met, a run-off will be held between the candidates with the most votes in the first round.

Former Prime Minister “Inset George Boulogel” came second with 21% out of the total votes, while Martin Zugeli came third with 7% of votes.

However, the Maat Foundation expresses its reservations about the stopping of 800 polling stations - that is, about 14% - out of a total of 5,408 polling stations in the country and did not perform their duties due to the violence.

Voters in some areas were also brutally treated and received death threats, and election process officials were prevented from carrying out their duties in many centers.

The country witnessed a series of violent attacks after the polls closed, resulting in the rebels taking control of two-thirds of the country after accusing the government of rigging the elections.

 

Second: the Guinean elections:

On the other hand in the west of the continent, the African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit followed the elections in the state of Guinea, which led to the continuation of the Guinean President “Alpha Conde in office after he obtained 59% - two million 438 thousand and 815 votes - of votes, and won a third presidential term amid objections and harsh criticism. From the opposition regarding the fairness and transparency of the elections that were held on October 18, 2020.

While his rival, "Cielo Dalin Diallo", received 33.5% of the total votes, Diallo announced that he would challenge Conde's victory in the Constitutional Court.

On November 8, 2020, the Constitutional Court confirmed the re-election of Alpha Conde, and rejected the appeals of 4 opponents about Conde's eligibility to win the presidential elections, considering that these allegations are baseless.

Maat Foundation strongly condemns the post-election violence after the results were announced, which resulted in the deaths of 12 people.

It should be noted that a constitutional amendment was carried out in the referendum and approved in March 2020, according to which the presidential states were defined for two consecutive terms, each lasting 6 years, after it was 5 years, which was criticized by the opposition, as this new amendment eliminates the account of the previous states of Conde.

Third: the Ugandan elections:

The African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit also monitored the elections in Uganda, in which President Yoweri Museveni won the presidential elections in mid-January 2021, after receiving 5.85 million votes, or 58.64% of the votes of the electorate, while his rival, pop star Bobby Wayne, came second in 3.48 Million votes equal to 34.83%.

The Foundation monitored the electoral turnout, which it estimated at 57%, out of a total of 18.1 million registered voters. To vote on 11 presidential candidates who ran in the election race, including one woman, "Nancy Calembe".

After candidate Bobby Wayne spoiled the results and asserted that the vote count was rigged, Museveni described the election process as fair in history. However, the Foundation is extremely concerned about what he is exposed to and where he and his family are, after security forces surrounded his home and prevented him from leaving.

While the election commission denies allegations of vote-rigging, election observers believe that confidence in the counting process was shaken after the internet was cut off for 3 days.

The Foundation also monitored opposition criticism on more than one occasion, the Ugandan government’s handling of the election campaigns of the president’s competitors, and accused it of tightening the screws on opponents and using the Corona epidemic as an excuse to prevent rallies.

It is worth noting that a constitutional amendment adopted in 2005 stipulated that presidential states are not defined, after they were limited to two consecutive terms as a maximum.[7]. Another constitutional amendment was passed in 2017, according to which the article related to the age limit that a presidential candidate should not exceed, which was set at 75 years, was suspended.

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