In African democracy in 2024, 18 elections took place on the African continent, from Senegal to South Africa, Somaliland to Botswana, and Algeria to Ghana, with the results an equal mix of democratic success stories and challenges still to overcome.
By Melissa Chemam
In a historic year for democracy—with elections taking place in more than 50 countries around the world in 2024, bringing more than 1.5 billion people to the polls—the African continent was no exception.
With 18 elections taking place, including Senegal’s in March, South Africa’s in May, Algeria’s and Tunisia’s in September and October, respectively, and Ghana’s in December, some regions, particularly in West Africa, saw significant progress through democracy, while others still face significant challenges.
Lessons from West Africa
Political scientist Mathias Hounkpe is the co-author of a comparative analysis of electoral commissions in West Africa, which saw elections in Senegal and Ghana this year.
According to Hounkpe, both set examples of well-run and effective polls.
“In Senegal, the results reflect the ability of the institutions in the countries concerned to perform their roles properly, as well as the citizens’ ability to organize themselves to protect democracy and safeguard the elections,” he told RFI.
Having been delayed by former president Macky Sall, the presidential election held in March saw Bassirou Diomaye Faye elected with 54 percent of the vote. The ruling Pastef party then managed a landslide majority in snap parliamentary elections in November.
In Ghana in December, the presidential election marked the return to power of former president John Mahama.
“I believe that Ghana could be an example for the entire sub-region,” Hounkpe said. “It is the country where the electoral commission makes significant efforts to earn the trust of the citizens.”
He added, “The loser conceded victory based on the results collected by the party itself. They didn’t even wait for the commission to announce the provisional results. It was based on the results they gathered themselves. So, for me, it’s a lesson for political parties in the sub-region.”
Alternance in South Africa and Botswana
As in Ghana and Senegal, in November, Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi peacefully conceded defeat after preliminary results showed his ruling Botswana Democratic Party had lost its parliamentary majority, having been in power since the country’s independence in 1966.
The opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change party garnered more than half of the parliamentary seats, with its leader Duma Boko becoming the new president.
Its neighbor to the south saw the African National Congress lose its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago, in South Africa’s 29 May vote.
While it remains the country’s largest party, controlling 159 of the 400 seats in the new National Assembly, it agreed to form a coalition with its main opposition, the Democratic Alliance—all achieved peacefully.
South Africa also took over the rotating presidency of the G20 and will host its summit in November 2025 before handing over to the United States—the first time an African nation has held the role.
Somaliland’s success
While the Horn of Africa region continues to grapple with insecurity and the conflict in Ethiopia and Somalia, a presidential election was held in November in Somaliland following weeks of uncertainty.
The results showed that the opposition leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of the Waddani party, also known as “Irro,” secured the presidency with 64 percent of the vote, defeating the incumbent candidate, Muse Bihi.
Somaliland, on the north point of the Horn of Africa, restored its 1960 independence in 1991 and has been notably more stable than its neighbor, Somalia, since then.
Its latest election result represented peaceful political alternance for the sixth time in a row, attracting praise from political analysts and renewing hope for international recognition.
Human rights in North Africa
However, other parts of the continent saw less success in terms of democracy.
In Algeria and Tunisia, re-elected Presidents Tebboune and Saied received 95 and 89 percent of the votes respectively – amid low turnout in both countries.
If Algeria has enjoyed economic and social stability over the past decade, human rights organizations, including Amnesty, have warned of a decrease in freedom of expression, assembly, and religion, and women’s, workers’, and LGBT people’s rights.
In Tunisia, both the economy and the democracy have been weakened, and the country has cracked down on citizens’ rights to dissent, free speech, and peaceful protest.
Mozambique’s deadlock
The highest court in Mozambique on 23 December confirmed the disputed election results of 9 October that extended the Frelimo party’s 50-year grip on power and have thrown the country in chaos.
For the three months since the poll, the country has seen unprecedented protests and violent clashes. Frelimo leader Daniel Chapo’s main challenger, exiled opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, maintains that the election was rigged.
Postponed polls
Malians were due to vote in February 2024, in an election that had been postponed from July 2022, but the country’s military junta, which seized power in a coup in 2021, postponed the vote again “for technical reasons”.
Alexandre Didier Amani, from the NGO Tournons La Page, says the Sahel region has seen widespread regression since the coups that ousted the governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—now united in a confederation under the label the Alliance of Sahel States.
He told RFI: “The closure of civic spaces, silencing of voices and also abductions. We can see that there is a real regression in democracy.”
