presidential candidates - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Senegalese President Sall’s opposition rivals reject talks

SENEGALESE opposition presidential candidates rejected an invitation to join talks that President Macky Sall says are necessary before a delayed presidential election can be scheduled. On Thursday, Sall promised to step down when his mandate ends on April 2 but said he could not yet set a new date for an election despite pressure to end a three-week electoral crisis that has fuelled unrest and fears of democratic backsliding. He said political parties and civil society first needed to take part in talks scheduled for Monday, a day after the presidential vote was originally meant to be held. Sixteen of the 19…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Two more Congo presidential candidates do not plan court challenge

NEWS

TWO more candidates who contested last month's presidential election in Democratic Republic of Congo made clear they will not take the matter to court, making it more likely President Felix Tshisekedi's provisional win will be confirmed. Congo's election commission said on Sunday that Tshisekedi had secured more than 73% of the vote in the December 20 election, versus roughly 18% for his nearest challenger, businessman Moise Katumbi. A large group of opposition candidates says the election was fraudulent and has urged people to protest. However, the government has rejected calls for a rerun of the vote and the deadline to challenge the outcome of…

Nov

2023

By SONIA ROLLEY

Congo presidential candidates call for urgent measures to ‘save’ election

NEWS

SIX presidential candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including President Felix Tshisekedi's main rivals, called for urgent measures to prevent potential fraud in the upcoming general election. In a joint statement, the candidates promised to work together to prevent any manipulation of results and demanded a number of measures from the electoral commission including the publication of electoral lists and mapping of polling stations. The run-up to Congo's December 20 vote has been fraught with tension. International allies and human rights groups have accused the authorities of cracking down on dissent and freedom of expression, charges the government has denied.…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Liberia elections 2023: three things the next president must do

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LIBERIA, Africa’s oldest republic, is about to choose its next president. On 10 October, 46 political parties and 20 presidential candidates will compete for two million registered votes at 5,000 polling stations in 15 counties. But whoever wins will confront a polarised Liberia. CHARLES WRATTO, Associate Professor of Peace, Politics, and Conflict Studies, Babes Bolyai University Liberia is more divided than it has been since the end of its 14-year civil war in 2003. The war ended with the signing of a peace agreement, but its scars are still visible across the country. Frustration around the soaring cost of living,…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

The Turkey candidates for president and other key figures

WORLD

PRESIDENT Tayyip Erdogan will put his two-decade rule on the line on May 14 when he faces opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Turkey's landmark elections. Surveys show Kilicdaroglu ahead of him in the first round of voting. If no candidate secures more than half of the votes in the first round, a May 28 runoff will be held between the two leading candidates. Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party counts the nationalist MHP as its main ally. The secularist CHP and five other parties form an opposition alliance that is expected to get support from the main Kurdish party HDP, giving it an edge in some…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election: 10 factors that could affect the outcome

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS Nigerians inch closer to the February 2023 presidential election, the seventh since the current wave of liberal democracy formally started in 1999, there are at least 10 key issues that are likely to drive and determine the outcome. Political scientist, Jideofor Adibe, explores them all. 1. Ethnicity and regionalism Author JIDEOFOR ADIBE, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi Four of the 18 presidential candidates in the election, regarded as the front runners, come from the three dominant ethnic groups in the country: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. From the north are Atiku Abubakar, a former…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s Tinubu picks Muslim senator as presidential running mate

NEWS

NIGERIA'S presidential frontrunner Bola Tinubu picked as his running mate a sitting Muslim senator and former governor of northeastern Borno state, the heartland of an Islamist insurgency that has killed and displaced thousands of people. The move by Tinubu, who is also Muslim, breaks with past practice where presidential candidates from major political parties have chosen running mates from a different religion in a bid to foster unity in the country. Tinubu, 70, was last month elected as the ruling All Progressives Congress party's candidate to succeed incumbent Muhammadu Buhari, who will step down next year after completing two terms. …

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Ten candidates call for election re-run

NEWS

TEN defeated presidential candidates in the Central African Republic are calling for the result of a December 27 election to be annulled and the vote repeated, citing irregularities and low turnout, according to a joint statement. On Monday, the electoral commission declared President Faustin-Archange Touadera the winner of the race, with voter turnout of over 76% despite an offensive by rebel groups seeking to derail the vote. However, only half of the country's 1.8 million eligible voters were able to register for the vote due to the violence. Ten of the 17 candidates are now rejecting this result, saying turnout…