If Gaddafi falls, would it send a message that anyone can be challenged by their people?If he holds on, would the message be that leaders facing such challenges should unleash an early ‘whiff of grapeshot’ and quickly escalate to aerial bombing runs if need be – making revolt risky at best.
Some argue that pressures are more easily defused in sub-Saharan Africa because it is already more open than the north (this map from Freedom House bears out that point to some extent) and that there is new optimism, particularly in countries which have enjoyed their best decade of growth since independence.
Leaders further south in Africa may also have the advantage of less urbanised populations who are not as well connected as those in the north – although that is changing rapidly with the spread of mobile phone technology and the growth of cities.
A generation ago, popular risings to demand democracy after the Cold War forced leaders to make changes across the continent.
While that brought genuine change in some countries, in plenty of others a new formula was developed where the president holds an election, rigging or intimidating as much as needed to win or get his foes to call a boycott, the opposition cries foul whether or not would have lost fairly, maybe some heads get broken to make a point, Western countries complain but can’t reverse the decision, then everyone pipes down until the cycle repeats itself a few years later.
How significant will be the political impact of the north African rebellions on the rest of Africa?
In Africa, many have asked and wondered at the reasons why African leaders tend to stay too long in public offices or politically elected positions. Several answers coming up from different regions, but could there be a definite reason for solution?
This has to do with a cultivated wrong mindset to selfishly amass power, money...plenty of it that can feed their respective nations for a decade to say.
Secondly, this few are afraid of being probed quickly after their service in office but funny enough they can't be there forever... Let us continue to work on this great hope and desired change in Africa through our prayers and patriotism.
I'm not much interested about this past any longer because change is strong in the air now. It is quite clear toAfricans, friends of Africans living across the globe on this cause that we truly need selfless and visionary leaders at all levels of governments.
We should also look at reforming our leadership development programs amongst the youth who we all know are the future of any society.
Nigeria is not an electoral democracy. According to the constitution, the president is elected by popular vote for no more than two four-year terms. Members of the bicameral National Assembly, consisting of the 109-seat Senate and the 360-seat House of Representatives, are elected for four-year terms. The Brussels-based International Crisis Group found that the general elections of April 2007, “in the view of Nigerians and the many international observers alike, were the most poorly organized and massively rigged in the country’s history.” Civil society organizations reported numerous, widespread incidents of political harassment and violence surrounding the elections in six Niger Delta states, with the majority committed by PDP supporters or criminal gangs acting on behalf of PDP politicians.The military ruled Nigeria for much of its history after independence from Britain in 1960. Beginning with the first military coup in 1966, military officers claimed that their intervention was necessary to control simmering tensions among the country’s 250 ethnic groups, as well as between religious communities. Muslims, who live mostly in the north, make up about 50 percent of the population, while Christians, who dominate in the south, account for most of the remaining 50 percent. Ethnic and regional tensions led to the attempted secession of Nigeria’s oil-rich southeast as the Republic of Biafra in 1967, which touched off a three-year civil war and a devastating famine that together caused more than one million deaths.
A military-supervised political transition led to the inauguration of a civilian government in 1979, but the new democratic regime was burdened by factionalism, corruption, and communal polarization. Economic mismanagement and deeply flawed elections triggered another military intervention in 1983, followed by 16 more years of military rule
Religious freedom is guaranteed by the constitution, but many Nigerians, including government officials, discriminate against adherents of other religions. Religious violence frequently reflects regional and ethnic differences and accompanying competition for resources. At least 700 people were killed in July 2009 during clashes between police and an Islamic fundamentalist group in the city of Maiduguri; related violence was reported in neighboring states. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom added Nigeria to its list of “countries of particular concern” in 2009, alleging government complicity and direct involvement in the deaths.
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