Overview of Elections in Africa in 2023

The year 2023 marked the conclusion of 14 elections in Africa. Out of the 14 elections, five (5) were held in Western Africa (Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone), three (3) in Northern Africa (Egypt, Mauritania, and Tunisia), and two (2) in Southern Africa (Eswatini, Zimbabwe), Central Africa (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon), and Eastern Africa (Djibouti, Madagascar), respectively.

Twelve countries (Benin, Djibouti, DR Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe) held parliamentary elections in 2023. In these elections, women secured an average of 20% of the seats up for election. While some countries witnessed an increase in women elected, others saw a decline or no change.

In the presidential elections held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, very few women participated. Out of the 118 presidential candidates, just seven (7) were women. In most cases, there was only one female presidential candidate. None of the women won the presidential elections.

On 30 August 2023, a coup took place in Gabon, only days after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of the presidential elections. After the military leaders, known as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, seized power, they cancelled the results of the elections and placed President Ali Bongo under house arrest. The Transitional Charter, published in September 2023, lays out the new Transitional Government of Gabon.

Women’s representation and participation

Presidential elections

In the 2023 elections, six (6) countries (DR Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe) had at least one female presidential candidate competing in the first or only round. However, since none of the candidates received a majority vote in Liberia, the presidential elections moved to a second round where no female candidate participated. Among the eight (8) countries that held presidential elections, Gabon had the highest number of female candidates, with two (2) women running for president. On the other hand, Egypt and Madagascar had no female presidential candidates.

Parliamentary elections

Following the parliamentary elections in 2023, the average percentage of seats won by women increased from 16% to 20% compared to the previous elections. However, the percentage of women elected varied in the countries where parliamentary elections were held. While some countries with unicameral parliaments experienced a significant increase in the rate of women elected, others saw a decline. Similarly, in countries with bicameral parliaments, some countries witnessed an increase in both houses, while others saw an increase in only one house.

There were some positive developments in women's representation in the parliament, which are as follows:

Three countries, namely Sierra Leone (single house), Zimbabwe (lower and upper house), and Eswatini (upper house), had a percentage of women elected that reached or exceeded 30%.
Benin (single house) had the highest increase in women elected, followed by Eswatini (lower house) and Sierra Leone (single house).

As a result of the increase in the percentage of women elected in the 2023 elections, female representation in parliament (the percentage of seats held by women) increased in Benin, Sierra Leone, and Eswatini. Two countries (Benin and Sierra Leone) also advanced on IPU's monthly ranking of women in national parliaments. Sierra Leone showed the most significant change in ranking, moving from 152nd on 1 January, 2023, to 68th on 1 January, 2024. Benin followed suit, moving from 169th on 1 January, 2023, to 88th on 1 January, 2024.

In contrast, while some countries maintained the same percentage of women elected to national legislatures, in others, it declined.

In Tunisia (lower house), Guinea-Bissau (single house), and Nigeria (upper house), there was a drop in the percentage of women elected.
In Djibouti, however, the percentage remained unchanged.
Nigeria has the lowest percentage of women in parliament across both houses and even saw a decline in the number of women elected to the Senate after the 2023 elections.

Following the 2023 elections, the representation of women in the legislatures of Tunisia, Nigeria (lower house), and Guinea-Bissau has decreased. As observed in the International Parliamentary Union's monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, the percentage of women elected in Guinea-Bissay and Mauritania dropped significantly. For instance, Guinea-Bissau's rank dropped from 148th as of January 1, 2023, to 166th as of January 1, 2024, while Mauritania's rank dropped from 101st to 112th over the same period.

In Gabon, a new bicameral legislature was introduced as per the Transitional Charter. In the Transitional National Assembly, women make up 25.51%, while in the Transitional Senate, women make up 24.29% (17 out of 70 seats).

The Role of Quotas in women’s political participation and representation

Seven out of the 12 countries that held parliamentary elections in 2023 have implemented a form of quota or a combination of quotas to ensure the representation of women in decision-making positions at the national level. These countries are:

Djibouti, Eswatini, and Sierra Leone who have implemented reserved seats.
Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania mandate implemented legislated candidate quotas.
Benin and Zimbabwe use combination of legislated quota (reserved seats, candidate quotas) and voluntary party quotas.

In contrast, in five countries, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria and Tunisia, do not use a form of quota.

The use of quotas had a positive impact on the portion of women elected and serving in the respective national parliaments in some countries while falling short in others. In Eswatini, the quota was met in the upper house. In the lower house, it appears to be only partially met. While the quota for women indirectly elected as stipulated by the Constitution of Eswatini was met, the number of women appointed did not meet the constitutional provision. Per the Constitution, at least half of the 10 members appointed to the House of Assembly should be women; however, data indicate that four women were appointed. Djibouti almost met its 25% quota, as 23.10% of women were elected. Additionally, in the 2023 parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone, it was mandated by the Public Elections Act that political party lists must include one woman for every two male candidates nominated, which marked the first time this occurred. MEWC has yet to be able to verify if the requirement for party lists was met in Sierra Leone. Similarly, it is unknown if the quotas in countries using legislated candidate or voluntary party quotas were met due to a lack of data.

In Liberia and Madagascar, legislative efforts to enhance women’s representation in decision-making were unsuccessful despite being adopted by the respective countries’ legislatures. In Liberia, the President vetoed the 30% representation bill. Following the 2023 parliamentary elections, women make up 10.96% in the lower house and 10% in the upper house in Liberia. In Madagascar, the High Constitutional Court declared Law n°2022-003 on the participation of women in decision-making positions unconstitutional. Madagascar is scheduled to hold its parliamentary elections in 2024.

Meanwhile, in Liberia, legislative efforts to enhance women’s representation in decision-making were unsuccessful despite being adopted by the legislature as the President vetoed the 30% representation bill. After the 2023 parliamentary elections, women made up 10.96% of the lower house and 10% of the upper house in Liberia

Gains in Women’s Political Leadership and Political Representation

While women's representation in many countries under review remains low, there are some noteworthy and positive developments to celebrate. These include the election of young women to parliament, the involvement of female presidential candidates, and the appointment of women to leadership positions. They include:

Djibouti:

Housseina Abdoulkader Ali became the youngest member elected to the National Assembly at the age of 28.

Eswatini:

Thulisile Dladla was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

Gabon:

Ms Paulette Missambo was appointed President of the Transitional Senate.
General Brigitte Onganoa was appointed Minister Delegate to the Presidency, in charge of National Defense.

Liberia:

Out of the 20 presidential candidates, two (2) were women: Sara BeysolowNyantiand Madame Bendu Alehma Kromah, an independent.

Nigeria:

Out of 18 presidential candidates, Princess Chichi Ojei of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM was the sole woman.

Sierra Leone:

Iye Kakay of the of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) became the party’s first female presidential candidate.
Two young women, Sia Mahawa Habiama Tommy and Alice Kornya Sandy, both of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), were elected to parliament.

Zimbabwe

Out of 11 presidential candidates, Elizabeth Valerio of the United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) was the sole woman.

Conclusion

The 2023 parliamentary elections saw a mixed record when it came to the percentage of women elected to parliament. In most countries where parliamentary elections were held, women make up less than a third of the members in the respective legislatures. However, Sierra Leone (single or lower house), Zimbabwe (lower and upper house), and Eswatini (upper house), had a percentage of women elected that reached or exceeded 30%. Nigeria had the lowest proportion of women elected to the houses of parliament. Of the countries that concluded parliamentary elections in 2023, Sierra Leone ranks the highest on IPU’s monthly ranking of women in national parliaments as of 1 January 2024. It is followed by Zimbabwe and Benin. Conversely, Guinea-Bissau and Liberia rank the lowest. Because the National Assembly was suspended, Tunisia is not present in the 2023 rankings, and therefore it is not possible to assess whether there was an improvement or not.

Women were not well represented in the eight countries that held presidential elections in 2023. There was at least one female candidate in the first or only round in just six out of the eight countries that held presidential elections. In two countries, there was no female candidate. No female candidate was elected president in 2023.

Nevertheless, there were positive developments to note. Three young women under the age of 30 were elected as members of parliament in Djibouti (Housseina Abdoulkader Ali) and Sierra Leone (Sia Mahawa Habiama Tommy and Alice Kornya Sandy). As young women are not well represented, their successful candidatures are noteworthy, as they may inspire others and lead to an increase in young women’s representation and participation in decision-making positions.

More than half of the countries where parliamentary elections were held used a form of quota. In some of these cases, the quota appears to have had a positive impact on women’s political representation. Due to insufficient or lacking data, it was not possible to assess whether or not quotas yielded positive or negative results in others. In Liberia, efforts to implement a 30% quota were unsuccessful.

The implementation of and compliance with quotas can have a positive impact on women’s political participation and representation in decision-making. However, their increased participation is also dependent on removing various barriers and challenges. Women candidates and elected members face multiple and interrelated challenges in political and public life, such as gender stereotypes, sexual and gender-based violence, and a lack of political and financial support.

At the time of writing, the busy 2024 election year has just begun. Under 2024, 22 out of the 55 African States are scheduled to hold parliamentary and/or presidential elections. The first presidential election was held in Comoros, with a second round scheduled for 25 February 2024. Other countries where presidential elections will be held are Algeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tunisia. In countries such as Botswana, Chad, Madagascar, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, and Togo, parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held. Among those are countries that rank among the 20 countries with the highest percentage of women in national parliaments. The outcomes of these elections have yet to be known; however, each offers an opportunity to advance and increase women’s representation and ensure their equal participation in decision-making at all levels.