African elections will be relatively scarce in 2022. But the few presidential elections that are due to take place will illustrate why Africans are frustrated by the gap between democracy’s promise and its reality, @TheEconomist‘s @johnpmcdermott writes. https://t.co/o4yUPVQ23r
— Democracy Digest (@demdigest) November 8, 2021
Africa’s most inspiring presidential election of 2022 may take place in a country that is not officially a state, the Economist reports.
The sovereignty of Somaliland, which claims independence from Somalia, is not recognised by any other country. Its politics are far from perfect: clan loyalty determines most people’s votes, and women find it hard to get elected, its Africa correspondent John McDermott writes. But its presidential race, which will see Musa Bihi Abdi run for re-election, should be a reminder that, despite its lack of statehood, Somaliland is more democratic than many other parts of Africa.
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) partner Afrobarometer’s 48,084 face-to-face interviews in 34 African countries in 2019-2021 indicate that citizens oppose leaders who stay for more than two terms. RTWT
