opposition leader - The African Mirror

Jun

2023

Kenya’s opposition leader rallies supporters to boycott new taxes

KENYA'S opposition leader Raila Odinga asked his supporters to boycott a raft of new taxes on items including fuel and housing, stoking a potential confrontation with the government of his rival President William Ruto. The levies were contained in a finance bill that was signed into law by Ruto on Monday. "Through civil disobedience, we will deny Ruto the taxes he thinks he can extort from us by force," Odinga told thousands of cheering and dancing supporters at a rally in the capital Nairobi. Under the new revenue measures, the fuel tax will double to 16% and workers will also…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Sierra Leone opposition leader decries lack of access ahead of Saturday’s vote

NEWS

SIERRA Leone's main opposition candidate said the lack of election campaign access to some strongholds of the ruling party and unsupervised distribution of ballots could open the door to rigging. Some 3.4 million Sierra Leoneans are expected in the polls on Saturday for a general election in which Samura Kamara of the opposition All People's Congress (APC) is seen as the main challenger against incumbent President Julius Maada Bio. Kamara, a former foreign minister, narrowly lost to Bio in the 2018 presidential race. Tensions in the last days of the campaign have led to the cancellation of rallies and clashes at an…

Jun

2023

By SOFIA CHRISTENSEN, DIADIE BA and NGOUDA DIONE

Fresh protests rock Senegal as death toll climbs

NEWS

FRESH clashes broke out between opposition supporters and Senegalese police in parts of the capital Dakar, the third day of protests in the West African nation sparked by the prosecution of an opposition leader. Protesters took to the streets in the evening, setting up barricades and burning rubbish in the HLM district. Police there and in the Ngor residential neighbourhood fired tear gas in an effort to disperse angry crowds. Gas stations and a supermarket were looted overnight and several districts were strewn with rubble and burned tyres. "The police couldn't do anything... The police had to leave after several…

Jun

2023

By BATE FELIX, SOFIA CHRISTENSEN and NGOUDA DIONE

Senegal deploys army as Dakar braces for more unrest

NEWS

ARMY troops were deployed to parts of the Senegalese capital Dakar as the city braced for more unrest after a jail sentence for opposition leader Ousmane Sonko sparked one of the deadliest days of violence in the country's recent memory. Nine people were killed in clashes between riot police and Sonko supporters on Thursday after he was sentenced to two years for corrupting youth. The opposition says the verdict, which could prevent Sonko from running in elections next year, was politically motivated. Security forces patrolled streets, which were quiet on Friday but strewn with burned cars, rocks and broken glass and lined…

May

2023

By ORHAN COSKUN and CAN SEZER

Erdogan’s election rival in Turkey says ‘we are leading’

WORLD

TURKEY'S opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said he was leading against President Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday's presidential elections despite state media putting Erdogan ahead in early results. Citing manipulation in the reporting of early results in previous elections, Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on TV that no one should heed early results shared by the state-owned Anadolu Agency. Early results from Anadolu broadcast by Turkish media showed President Tayyip Erdogan ahead with 52.55% of votes compared to Kilicdaroglu with 41.55%, although the gap was narrowing as the count continued. "We are leading," Kilicdaroglu said on Twitter. “We can say this…

Apr

2023

By TAREK AMARA

Judge orders jail for Tunisian opposition leader

NEWS

A Tunisian judge ordered opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to be detained before his trial on charges of plotting against state security, his lawyer said, the latest move on opponents of President Kais Saied. The 81-year-old head of the Islamist Ennahda party was the speaker of the elected parliament, which was shut down in 2021 by Saied when he seized all powers. Ghannouchi, who was arrested on Monday, was ordered detained following an investigation by the judge that lasted eight hours, lawyer Monia Bouali said. No date has been set for any trial or the next hearing. "The issue is related to…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenyan opposition ready to talk to government, resume protests

NEWS

KENYA'S opposition alliance is prepared to negotiate with the government over electoral reforms and the high cost of living, while also resuming protests, opposition leader Raila Odinga said. In early April, Odinga ended anti-government protests after an appeal from President William Ruto but said at the time they could resume within days if there was no meaningful engagement or response from the government. Thousands participated in three marches held over two weeks in late March and early April. The protests, in part stirred by accusations of fraud in last August's presidential election, were all marred by violence. "Kenyans are standing firm. We have…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya prosecutor stops case against MPs after protests suspended

NEWS

HUMPHREY MALALO KENYA'S top prosecutor has dropped charges against four lawmakers over anti-government protests, a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga suspended the demonstrations, their lawyer said. Odinga said on Sunday he was ready for talks with President William Ruto, as long as authorities halted arrests connected to the protests, and addressed his concerns about the rising cost of living and reforms to the electoral system. "The case has been withdrawn ... for the sake of peace, dialogue and justice between the accused persons and the state," lawyer Danstan Omari told Reuters. Thousands took part in three marches over the past two…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Indian court orders Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail for Modi comment

WORLD

SUMIT KHANNA and ARPAN CHATURVEDI A lower court in India sentenced opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail on charges of defamation for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. Gandhi will appeal against the order in a higher court, but any jailing for him or his disqualification from parliament would be a blow to his Congress party ahead of the 2024 general election, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is widely expected to win. The judgment was passed by a magistrate's court in the city of Surat, located in Modi's…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

South Sudan president dismisses foreign minister without explanation

NEWS

SOUTH Sudan President Salva Kiir sacked the foreign minister, the president's spokesperson said, less than a week after the dismissal of the ministers of defence and interior and he did not provide an explanation. Foreign minister Mayiik Ayii is a close ally of Kiir and previously served as the minister of the president's office. It wasn't immediately clear if Ayii's termination was linked to those of the defence and interior, which have threatened to destroy a fragile peace deal with opposition leader First Vice President Riek Machar. "It's a normal business. People can be relieved and replaced," Kiir's spokesperson Lily Martin…