2012 Elections Monitoring
The elections on August 31 2012 are the third ever legislative election in the country’s history and the first general election since Angola’s new constitution came into force.[1] The new constitution enacted on February 5 2010 establishes a party list system where citizens vote for a party instead of an individual candidate and the president will be the leader of the winning party’s list. [2]
On 9 July 2012, South Sudan marked its first anniversary after its declaration of independence in 2011 from Sudan. However, both internal and external strife and insecurity have challenged its first year and the hoped stability has not yet reached the young nation. Dispute between South Sudan and Sudan continues on the sharing of profits from oil production and the status of the Abyei region.
Denis Sassou Nguesso was reelected president in a July 2009 election with 78 percent of the vote. The country has a multiparty political system although members of the president's Congolese Labor Party (PCT) occupy most senior government positions. The 2009 election was peaceful and the African Union declared the elections to have been free and fair; however, opposition candidates and non governmental organizations (NGOs) cited irregularities 1].
The Malian Presidential elections were delayed after a coup d’état took place on March 21st 2012. Women have played a remarkable role in Malian politics with a small number of women holding Ministerial posts and seats in the National Assembly. Aminata Dramane Traoré, author and political activist have served as the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Mali, coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme, and board member of the International Press Service.
The election will be Libya’s first national poll after four decades of dictatorship under toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi. The Libyan Public National Conference elections scheduled for July 8th will establish a transitional conference (committee). Once elected, the Conference will appoint a Prime Minister, Cabinet and Constituent Authority, which will draw up a new constitution.
Senegal voted this Sunday in this year’s Parliamentary elections, marked by a slow turn out.[i] "It's a waste to organise these elections when so few people show up," said Ousmane Sy, a Senegalese teacher. But, he added, "It isn't surprising. There are no illusions about the lawmakers. They don't play their role and politicians generally only spread lies."[ii
The run-off for the Egyptian presidency was this weekend, producing the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Morsi as the projected president-elect.