Recent elections in Africa end with crackdowns on opposition and disputed results

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Recent elections in various African countries ended with the same outcome: marginalization of opposition candidates, disputed results and protests from mostly young voters after incumbents were re-elected.

The elections featured a bureaucrat in Cameroon who became the oldest leader in the world after spending half his life as president. Ivory Coast economist begins his fourth term at the age of 83. And a woman in Tanzania whose emergence as the country’s first female president originally created hope that change was coming — but was denounced for her authoritarian style.

On the continent of 1.4 billion people – where most of its countries have been independent for about 60 years – the disputed election results could further weaken shaky democracies and encourage soldiers to increasingly seize power, analysts say.

Africa is home to some of the world’s youngest populations and oldest leaders, a paradox that has contributed to a surge in coups from the Sahel region in the west to Madagascar. In many places, there are deep frustrations over failed promises to provide residents with basic amenities despite rich natural resources.

This trend points to deeper structural problems in Africa’s underlying political environment, said Jeffrey Smith, executive director of the democracy-focused nonprofit Vanguard Africa.

He said that the three countries are characterized by the presence of officials who exploit state resources to remain in power, partisan security forces, as well as flawed legal processes.

“This is actually an indicator of competitive authoritarianism… where elections are fundamentally lopsided and biased in favor of those already in power,” Smith said. “So the real issue is the lack of real political competition and accountability.”

Here’s a quick look at the three elections:

Cameroonian Biya, the world’s oldest leader, is elected for eight terms

A campaign billboard for Cameroonian President Paul Biya was vandalized after the Constitutional Council declared him victory in the October 12 elections in Douala, Cameroon. Photography by Zahra Bensamra – Reuters

At 92 years old, Paul Biya has spent nearly half his years as Cameroon’s president, and is Africa’s second-longest-serving leader, behind Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

After 43 years in power, he won his eighth term in the country’s October 12 elections, which his spokesman-turned-rival Issa Chiroma Bakare claims he also won.

Biya rarely appears in public and critics say his ability to govern is severely limited by his age. His re-election to an eighth seven-year term will keep him in office until he is nearly 100 years old.

Some Cameroonian cities were closed on Monday after Chiroma called for it as a way for citizens to protest the election results. At least four people were killed by security forces in recent demonstrations.

Amr Bouba, a 27-year-old trader in the northern city of Maroua, who joined the recent protests, said he would not back down despite the arrests. “I am willing to risk my life to defend my voice,” Bubba said.

Ouattara of the Sahel wins the vote without his main rival

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara (83 years old) was re-elected for a fourth term in elections held on October 25, which were characterized by low turnout and empty streets after his main rival was prevented from running.

A court ruled that Tidjani Thiam, Ouattara’s main rival and former CEO of Credit Suisse, was not eligible to run because of his dual French-Ivorian citizenship, a decision that Thiam vowed to oppose. Thiam, born in Ivory Coast, obtained French citizenship in 1987 but renounced it in March.

He claimed that he was excluded from the race to pave the way for Ouattara’s re-election and described the election as a sham. Protesters were arrested in the run-up to the election and more protests are scheduled for this week.

Ouattara was first elected president in 2010 but not without challenges. Then-President Laurent Gbagbo, who lost the election to Ouattara, refused to concede defeat, leading to an electoral crisis that killed thousands. Gbagbo had to be forced from power with the help of international peacekeeping forces.

Tanzania’s president sparked hope and then disappointment

Tanzanian riot police officers walk past a vandalized campaign poster of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, following a protest a day after a general election marred by violent demonstrations over the exclusion of two prominent opposition candidates. Photography by Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday after a disputed election that excluded her main rivals.

The October 29 elections were marred by violence as demonstrators took to the main streets to protest. The army was deployed to help police quell the riots, and authorities imposed an internet outage amid the tensions.

A former vice president who ascended to the presidency after the death of his predecessor John Pombe Magufuli, Hassan’s emergence as Tanzania’s first female president in 2021 initially brought hopes to millions after the government’s repressive tactics against opposition leaders, civic groups, journalists and others.

But her critics said she failed to ease repression and instead showed an authoritarian streak similar to her predecessor.