2019 will be a busy year for the African continent politically. Among other key topics that will retain the attention of our observers and analysts, Stake Experts is compiling a list of elections to be followed on the continent during the year.

Date Event Location Type Observations
2019* Parliamentary elections in Guinea Guinea Parliamentary elections renewal of 114 members of the National Assembly
February 16 Presidential Election in Nigeria Presidential Election Succession of Muhammadu Buhari
February 16 Parliamentary elections in Nigeria Nigeria Parliamentary elections
February 24 Presidential election in Senegal Senegal presidential election succession of Macky Sall
March 6, Senate elections in the DRC DRC Senate renewal of 108 Senate members (indirectly elected by the members of the provincial assemblies)
March 10 General elections in Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau Parliamentary elections 102 members of the National Assembly
March 20 Parliamentary elections in Madagascar Madagascar Parliamentary elections renewal of 151 members of the National Assembly
March 24 Constitutional referendum in Burkina Faso Burkina Faso referendum limitation of the number of presidential terms (among other reforms)
April 28 Parliamentary elections in Benin Benin renewal of 83 members of the National Assembly
April 2019* Parliamentary elections in Somaliland Somalia legislative elections renewal of 82 members of the National Assembly
April 2019* Parliamentary elections in Mali Mali renewal of 147 members of the National Assembly
April 2019* Presidential Election in Algeria Algeria Successin of Abdel Aziz Bounteflika
May 2019* Parliamentary elections in Malawi Malawi legislative elections
May 2019* Presidential Election in Malawi Malawi Presidential Election Succession of Peter Mutharika
May 2019* Parliamentary elections in South Africa South Africa Parliamentary elections the President of the Republic will be elected by the National Assembly resulting from these elections
May 2019* Parliamentary elections in Chad Chad Parliamentary elections renewal of 188 members of the National Assembly
July 2019* Presidential election in Mauritania Mauritania presidential election succession of Mohammed Ould Abdelaziz (who will not be a candidate for his own succession)
September 22 Municipal elections in the DRC DRC municipal
October 2019* Parliamentary elections in Cameroon Cameroon Parliamentary elections renewal of 180 members of the National Assembly
December 2019* Presidential Election in Tunisia Tunisia Presidential Election Succession of Beji Caid El Sebsi
December 2019* Regional elections in Tunisia Tunisia regional
December 2019* Presidential Election in Comoros Comoros Presidential Election of Azali Assoumani
December 2019* Presidential election in Libya Libya presidential election
December 2019* Parliamentary elections in Libya Libya Parliamentary elections

*precise date not determined

The precise date of several of the elections expected this year is not fixed at the time we are writing this article. Among the countries where this uncertainty must raise vigilance by decision-makers are Libya, Comoros, Tunisia, and Algeria. The organization of the presidential elections in the latter two countries, in particular, will be a new test of the viability of their democracies nearly a decade after the Arab Spring. In Tunisia, the former president of Nidaa Tounes movement, Beji Caid Essebsi, came out of the first election by universal suffrage that took place in the country in 2014. He is very likely to be a candidate for his own succession. One of his most likely encounters will be the head of government Youssef Chahed. The situation is more uncertain in Algeria where the candidacy of Abdel Aziz Bouteflika has been announced by his party, without him commenting on it personally.

In terms of legislative elections, South Africa will elect its MPs in May. What is at stake in this election is the designation of the President of the Republic by new elected MPs. On its side, the new government of Madagascar should hold parliamentary elections for March 20. In a context of contesting the results of the presidential election that brought Andry Rajoelina to the presidency at the end of 2018, these legislative elections sound like a new test of popularity for the president elected. Finally, the senatorial elections of March 6 in the DRC are at risk to be in the continuity of the ongoing crisis resulting from the presidential election of December 30, 2018. The 108 senators being indirectly elected by the members of the provincial assemblies, we must expect that the pro-Kabila Common Front for Congo (FCC) remains the main political force in the Senate.

In Burkina Faso, after the refusal of political parties to adopt a new constitution by parliamentary means, a constitutional referendum was announced to take place on March 24. The new constitution should mark an important starting point in the country’s recent political history by prescribing (among other reforms) the limitation of presidential terms to two.

 

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