After a failed democratic experiment in 1993-96 and two military coups, Niger successfully held free and fair elections in 1999. The next couple of years will be crucial to the long-term survival of democracy.
About the Authors
John Uniack Davis
John Uniack Davis is development assistance coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger. Previously, he was a democratic governance consultant in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Aboubacar B. Kossomi is political assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Niger. The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and should not be taken as an expression of U.S. government policy.
In 2000, Senegal experienced its first-ever electoral victory by an opposition candidate. Yet the social foundations that have supported one of Africa’s most liberal regimes are shifting, with unpredictable consequences.
The country's long-ruling party has never faced a serious electoral challenge—due not only to opposition weakness but also to a deliberate strategy of suppression.
Ethiopia’s ruling party has long been tightening its grip, using antiterrorism laws and harsh restrictions on media and civil society to silence voices critical of the regime.
