Authoritarian incumbents claim most of 2024 elections across Africa

Sixty-five elections were held around the globe in 2024 — the biggest election year in history. What emerged from these polls was the realization that global democracy is at a critical juncture, especially with the disturbing trend of tyrants manipulating electoral systems to maintain their filthy grip on power. From Russia to Venezuela, from India to Bangladesh, from Georgia to Rwanda, elections in various nations ruled by authoritarian regimes have been marred by fraud, voter suppression, and outright manipulation. In many cases, these rulers  have used state-controlled media, election law distortions, and surveillance tactics to suppress opposition and limit free expression. The international community has watched as authoritarianism deepens, with claims of “stolen” elections becoming increasingly common. These actions represent not just a threat to the basic rights and freedoms of citizens all over the world, but to the very ideals of democratic governance that have long been a hallmark of the post-World War II global order. As 2024 comes to a close, it’s clear that the struggle for fair elections and the preservation of democracy is far from over.

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More than 15 national elections took place across the African continent (including North Africa) in 2024. Most were organized by authoritarian regimes under unfree and/or unfair conditions.Some authoritarian incumbents also postponed elections scheduled to take place this year. Against this backdrop, a few countries demonstrated democratic resilience by holding remarkably free and fair contests. 

Farcical elections 

In some cases, authoritarian incumbents staged elections in such blatantly repressive and unfair conditions that the polls took place without their chief opponents on the ballot. The January election in Comoros — in which incumbent Azali Assoumani sought a fourth term — took place with Assoumani’s most serious opponent in exile and another political rival in jail.  The polls registered a ghastly 16% turnout amid widespread reports of blatant fraud and manipulation, sparking demonstrations that were brutally repressed. 

In July, Rwanda’s regime staged arguably the world’s most farcical election of the year. Incumbent Paul Kagame claimed more than 99% of the vote after the electoral commission barred his three most serious opponents from the ballot. The vote, held in a climate of fear and repression, proved to be a formality to secure Kagame a fourth term. During the presidential campaign, Kagame bragged about the possibility of “winning” with 100% of the vote. 

Delayed elections

In Togo, Africa’s oldest dynastic dictatorship, the regime of Faure Gnassingbé repeatedly delayed legislative elections originally set for December 2023 over a period of four months. During that time, lawmakers from the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) party — whose terms have already expired — used their dominance of the national assembly to push through a contentious constitutional amendment without much public debate or consultation. This resulted in the abolition of direct presidential elections and the establishment of a new political system that enabled Gnassingbé to extend his rule to a new, more powerful position. In the April legislative elections, UNIR claimed 108 of 113 seats amid allegations of fraud.

In Guinea Bissau, authoritarian leader Umaro Sissoco Embaló indefinitely postponed legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 24 just three weeks. Guinea-Bissau has been without a legislature since Embaló controversially dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament in December 2023, invoking a purported “failed coup.” The move came after lawmakers voted down his efforts to increase his powers.

In September, the regime of authoritarian South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir postponed long-awaited presidential elections scheduled for December by two years. The regime cited its lack of readiness to hold elections which would be the first national polls since the 2011 referendum which paved the way for the country’s independence. 

Fraudulent elections

Some elections were relatively free but unfair and tainted with credible allegations of fraud and manipulation.

In Mozambique, the October general election saw the independent Podemos party of Venâncio Mondlane overtake Renamo as the main opposition party. Mondlane also vigorously rejected official results proclaiming the victory of the ruling Frelimo, based on widespread reports of fraud, manipulation and voter intimidation. Popular rejection of the election results also sparked a nationwide protest movement. Security forces killed more than 30 people while violently suppressing demonstrators. Amid the unrest, unidentified gunmen assassinated two prominent aides of Mondlane as they headed to file a legal challenge against the election results.  

In May, the Election Management Agency in Chad proclaimed the landslide victory of incumbent military ruler Gen. Mahamat Déby — who seized power in a military coup in 2021 following the death of his father, who had ruled the country for 30 years. The Agency withheld individual polling station results, however, after banning photos of the vote count, excluding opposition leader Succès Masra’s agents from vote counting centers and denying accreditation to more than 3,000 civil society poll monitors. As the Agency’s commissioners — who were all appointed by Déby — announced election results, the military heavily deployed around the capital, N’Djamena to head off any protests and secure Déby’s extension of 34 years of his family’s dynastic rule.

Free and fair elections

In 2024, [Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius, Somaliland and Ghana] held credible, competitive, free and fair elections. The most compelling of these elections took place in Senegal. Amid three years of deadly unrest and a political crisis sparked by fear that incumbent President Macky Sall would seek to force a third, unconstitutional term, Sall signed a decree postponing elections originally scheduled for February 25 by ten months. Senegal’s Constitutional Council, however, ruled the postponement as unconstitutional and ordered Sall to set a new date before his mandate expired on April 2. In a free and fair election on March 24, the Senegalese elected Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the No. 2 figure of the main opposition party, who had been released from prison just days before the election. 

Conclusion

The 2024 elections across Africa ran a wide spectrum on the key characteristics of freedom and fairness, with the majority of them having been unfair and unfree or canceled. While countries such as Senegal showcased democratic resilience and the revival of free and free elections, Rwanda and Comoros turned polls into a farcical uncompetitive ritual. Incumbents in Guinea Bissau and South Sudan postponed elections scheduled this year, and people in Mozambique and Chad were denied fair and credible elections. As such, this year served as a reminder of Africa’s ongoing struggle for electoral integrity and the ongoing need for democratic reforms.