Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s opposition has accused the government of deploying police and soldiers in a brutal crackdown in which two protesters were killed during a rally against upcoming elections. Security forces fired teargas and fought running battles on Saturday with demonstrators in the capital, Lome, and several other …
Read More »Nigeria’s president blocks electoral reform bill
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday refused to sign off on plans to overhaul the country’s electoral laws, judging that new rules would cause “disruption and confusion” so close to an election. Africa’s most populous nation goes to the polls to elect a new president …
Read More »Nigerian presidential candidate warns about vote-buying
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | The main challenger to President Muhammadu Buhari in next year’s election has advised Nigerians against selling their votes as concerns persist over possible electoral fraud at the landmark polls. Atiku Abubakar, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claimed Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had …
Read More »BALLON d’Or: It is Luka Modric
Paris, France | AFP | Luka Modric saw off competition from France’s World Cup stars as the Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder won the Ballon d’Or on Monday to end a 10-year stranglehold on the award by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Modric, 33, was announced as the winner of the prestigious prize in Paris …
Read More »Madagascar ex-presidents to contest run-off vote
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Two former presidents of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, will face each other in a run-off election next month to decide who will lead the Indian Ocean island nation, the country’s top court announced Wednesday. The run-off comes after neither candidate won the 50 …
Read More »‘Possible terrorist threat’ closes US embassy in DR Congo for fourth day
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The US embassy in Kinshasa will on Thursday be closed to the public for a fourth day following “credible and precise information” about a possible terrorist threat, a month ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential election. In a statement on its website, …
Read More »Nigeria media unites against ‘fake news’ and ‘a million Trumps’
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | At least 15 Nigerian news organisations joined forces Wednesday to fight misinformation ahead of February’s elections in a collaborative first as the country’s main political parties trade accusations of fabrication and exaggeration. The CrossCheck Nigeria project aims to get normally competing newsrooms to work together …
Read More »Ethiopia PM discusses reforms for ‘free and fair’ vote
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s prime minister on Tuesday met with dozens of opposition parties to discuss reforming the electoral system ahead of national elections planned for 2020. Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has unveiled an aggressive reform agenda that has included a promise …
Read More »Thousands rally as Tshisekedi returns to launch DR Congo presidential bid
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Tens of thousands of supporters turned out to welcome Congolese opposition scion Felix Tshisekedi as he returned to Kinshasa Tuesday to kick off his campaign to replace President Joseph Kabila in next month’s election. “We will go with the people and we will win,” …
Read More »Influential church on election stump in DR Congo
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The influential Catholic Church joined the electoral fray Sunday as the Democratic Republic of Congo gears up for next month’s watershed presidential election to chose a successor to veteran leader Joseph Kabila. Addressing several thousand attending mass, new archbishop of Kinshasa, Fridolin Ambongo, made …
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