• Carl LeVan

Nigerians have fought for democracy before, and we shouldn’t underestimate civil society’s willingness to defend it.

• Lena Império

Brazil, under the Workers' Party, even if it’s still struggling with enormous poverty and social inequality, has managed to improve tremendously.

• Boima Tucker

Many Brazilian voters are so disillusioned with politics that in this traditionally left-leaning, post-right military dictatorship society, the right has made surprising gains in this election.

• Karen Jeynes

For the love of Woolworths, stop pretending like you and only you know what Nelson Mandela would have wanted.

• Justin Sylvester

Twenty years after 1994, there is the deep discontent among the population about electoral politics and of politics in general. Freedom turned out to be a mirage.

• T.O. Molefe

Being Black in South Africa today must be a baffling, sometimes humiliating experience.

• GroundUp

The AIDS activist Zackie Achmat reflects on South Africa’s 5th democratic elections in this interview with Cape Town independent media outlet, GroundUp.

• Nicole Gerber

There is a certain deja vu about how Alpha Conde stays in power: every time there's an election he exploits ethnic divisions.

• Gregory Mann

It's worth remembering that the outcome of this election will represent stability more than change.

• Jacques Enaudeau

Here's a selection of articles that go the extra mile and poke holes in the narrow frame of the "Malian crisis."

• Phil Paoletta

SOS Democracy wants to raise voter turnout, educate them on their choices and hold the candidates and government accountable to voters.

• Corinna Jentzsch

Germany's a new campaign to educate Germans about what development policy is, has little to do with Africa and more with local electoral politics.

• Dan Moshenberg

• Cheta Nwanze

The problem with so many Twitter crowd members is they live in their comfort zone and are not about to lift a finger to get out of there.

• Patrick Gathara

Elections provide opportunities for national self-examination and renewal, maybe not in Kenya.

• Mukoma wa Ngugi

The question for Western journalists is this – when it comes to Africa, why do you not tell the whole story of the humanity at work even in times of extreme violence?

• Dan Moshenberg

• Serginho Roosblad

Reporting ahead of Kenya’s election by the international media can basically be placed in two general categories: optimism and, of course, no surprise, pessimism. 

• Jacquelin Kataneksza

• Dennis Laumann

Here's on lesson from Ghana's 2012 election: Not only is Akufo-Addo the Ghanaian Mitt Romney, but the NPP are the Republicans of Ghana