Elections

Jamie Hitchen looks at the role of Uganda's Electoral Commission in the recent polls and asks whether they are still viewed as credible by the majority of Ugandans.

Our Briefing note "Steady Progress? 30 years of Museveni and the NRM in Uganda" was quoted in the Daily Maverick on their analysis of the Ugandan elections.

In 1986 Yoweri Museveni promised “fundamental change” in Uganda. Thirty years after the NRM took power, this Briefing Note considers the extent to which the promises of its ten-point programme have been fulfilled.

A political crisis on Zanzibar – where a “rogue” election commissioner is preparing to waste time, money and goodwill on a vote with a predetermined outcome – is being overlooked by President Magufuli, argues Nick Branson.

Our Senior Researcher, Nick Branson 's blog "Tanzania: Division and Derision in the United Republic" was referenced in the Journal of Tanzanian Affairs.

Speakers: Professor Ibrahim Lipumba (former presidential candidate, Tanzania), Nic Cheeseman (Oxford University), Vera Kwakofi (BBC Africa)

The opening of the National Assembly on 17 November follows the inauguration of a new president, John Magufuli. Yet three weeks after Tanzanians went to the polls, Zanzibar is still mired in a political crisis, says Nick Branson.

Maïlys Chauvin’s account of election preparations in Zanzibar highlights a number of worrying developments that challenges “received wisdom” about good governance in Tanzania and electoral credibility.

BudgIT was founded in 2011 and aims to enable Nigerian citizens and policymakers to hold government to account for revenue and expenditure decisions through analysis of public data. ARI spoke to its founder, Oluseun Onigbinde.

Nick Branson and Jamie Hitchen consider claims about the efficacy of cash transfers in Africa and raise questions about whether the process is too often driven by donors rather than African governments.