Alexis’s view
Two upcoming elections showcase a persistent tension across Africa: the world’s youngest continent is ruled by its oldest leaders. And, in many cases, they’re staying in power for decades.
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, in power for 43 years, is chasing an eighth term in Sunday’s election at the age of 92. And, in two weeks, Côte d’Ivoire will give its verdict on 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara’s bid to win a fourth term at the helm of Francophone West Africa’s largest economy.
They aren’t outliers: Five sitting African heads of state have each been in power for more than three decades. Malawi swore in an 85-year-old president last week. I’m not a young man, but even I have childhood memories of my parents discussing Yoweri Museveni’s role in African politics. The 81-year-old, Uganda’s president for 40 years, will contest an election early next year.
Biya, Museveni, Outtara, and others have held on to power by undermining political dissent. But elections could act as a lightning rod for frustration over political repression to tip over into unrest. Cameroon, with its longstanding Anglophone separatist insurgency and jihadists forcing thousands to flee their homes, is particularly at risk. Young people in a country where the median age is 19 could look around the continent, to Gen Z protests in Madagascar — or recent unrest in Kenya and Morocco — for inspiration.
So much of our reporting hinges on the opportunities created by Africa’s demographic dividend compared with the West’s ageing populations. The danger is that “leaders for life” are blocking the fresh thinking that could unlock economic development.
Notable
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Leaders are increasingly securing longer terms through “constitutional coups” which involve proposing amendments that allow for additional terms in office, argues the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
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Autocrats often benefit from international support, The Economist points out, citing longstanding administrations that have won the backing of the US, France, China, and Russia.
