Five worrying signs of Africa’s poor election quality

This is a crucial election year for Africa, with 180 million eligible voters making their mark in 17 polls across the continent. Over the past three decades, many African countries have transitioned to multiparty liberal democracies – and political power is generally now garnered through the ballot box rather than the barrel of a gun.

However, despite decades of democracy, many countries still struggle to have free, fair and transparent polls, and seamless power changes. While a highly contested election is a sign of a working democracy, five concerning trends undermine the integrity of Africa’s electoral processes and quality of elections.