Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Supporters of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga took to the streets Wednesday as poll officials mull their next move after his withdrawal from a presidential election plunged the country into uncharted waters. Opinions are split on what the veteran opposition leader’s decision implies for what …
Read More »Results expected Wednesday afternoon in vote to replace Liberia’s Sirleaf
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Counting was under way in Liberia on Wednesday following a peaceful poll that will determine President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s successor after 12 years and complete a historic democratic transfer of power. The first official results in the presidential and legislative elections are expected on Wednesday …
Read More »Liberians usher in new era with high-stakes presidential vote
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberians began voting on Tuesday to replace President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in a contest set to complete the country’s first democratic transition of power in more than 70 years. Voting opened at 8:00 am in the small West African nation, although there were delays in some …
Read More »Kenya’s disputed elections: The twists and turns
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga’s withdrawal Tuesday from a re-run of the presidential election is the latest in a series of dramatic developments over the disputed vote: – Tense vote – Kenyan voters turn out in large numbers on August 8 after a tight race …
Read More »Liberia’s election: how it works
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia will hold presidential and legislative elections on October 10. Here are the key points explaining how the election will work and when the results will be known. – US model – Africa’s first republic was founded by freed slaves from the United States and …
Read More »Five things to know about Liberia’s election
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberians go to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president after 12 years under Africa’s first elected female leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Here are five points that define the campaign: – Sirleaf steps aside – Sirleaf unexpectedly swept the vote in 2005 and …
Read More »Protests continue as Kenya opposition demands poll reform
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan police lobbed tear gas at opposition supporters who protested around the country on Monday to demand a reform of the election commission before new polls are held later this month. Thousands gathered in the capital and the western opposition stronghold Kisumu, while smaller demonstrations …
Read More »Liberia’s Weah denies contact with ex-leader Charles Taylor
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberian presidential candidate George Weah on Friday denied contact with ex-leader Charles Taylor as controversy erupted over the former warlord’s alleged behind-the-scenes role in the country’s politics. After stepping off a helicopter on his return to the capital, Monrovia, from a nationwide tour ahead of elections …
Read More »Mexico’s ex-first lady launches independent presidential run
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Mexico’s former first lady Margarita Zavala announced Friday she will stand as an independent in presidential elections next year, ditching the country’s main opposition party and shaking up the race. Zavala, 50, is the wife of former president Felipe Calderon (2006-2012) and a popular conservative …
Read More »Kenya police use tear gas to disperse opposition protests
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Police in Kenya fired tear gas on Friday at crowds of opposition supporters marching in three main cities ahead of a tense presidential election re-run. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for biweekly protests to pressure the government to overhaul the Independent Electoral and Boundaries …
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