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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
Melissa Chemam

The year ahead for African democracy: who is going to the polls in 2026?

Elections are set to take place in countries including DRC, Benin and Ethiopia, where a man is seen here casting his vote in a referendum in 2019. AFP - MICHAEL TEWELDE

After a tense general election in Uganda last week, presidential elections are set to follow in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March then in Benin and Djibouti in April. With elections also due this year in Libya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Gambia and South Sudan, could the African continent see a democratic sea change in 2026?

Africa’s 2026 elections will unfold against the backdrop of persistent concerns around political inclusion and institutional independence, highlighted by the votes that took place last year in Cameroon, Tanzania, Guinea Bissau and Côte d’Ivoire.

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