Andrea Cassani
Following years of uncertainty, Senegal’s President Macky Sall has announced he will not run for a third term in 2024. Andrea Cassani, Tiziana Corda, and Giovanni Carbone consider Sall's decision less unexpected than it would have been some years ago. They discuss how term-limit politics could influence democracy and development across Africa Read more
Matthew E Bergman
What motivates people in referendum voting? Advocates argue that they allow voters to express their sincere preferences on issues. Matthew Bergman and Gianluca Passarelli look at the Italian case. They argue that voting in referenda can be just as party-focused as other forms of elections Read more
Susannah Verney
The Greek election of May 2023 produced an unexpected destabilisation of the party system, and triggered a repeat election to be held five weeks later. Susannah Verney argues that the poll was variously viewed by voters as a second order election and a ‘system-defining’ choice Read more
Muhammad Edita
Since 2015, technology has helped consolidate Nigerian democracy by ensuring transparency and fairness in elections. Yet, writes Muhammad Edita, in Nigeria's most recent elections, the malfunctioning or manipulation of technology has – paradoxically – led to defeated parties challenging electoral results Read more
Gift Mwonzora
Are electoral reforms the answer to a country's democratic deficit? Gift Mwonzora writes that elections should not be reduced to a mere ritualistic exercise. In Zimbabwe, only genuine political, legal, governance and administrative reforms will bring democratic success. Yet while electoral reforms are essential for credible elections, they are not the sole remedy for a competitive authoritarian regime's democratic deficits Read more
Ildiko Otova
Bulgaria has just held its fifth national election in two years. As in the previous four, there was no clear winner. The small lead for Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB-SDS) resolves nothing. Indeed, argues Ildiko Otova, it probably renders political stability even more difficult to secure Read more
Alicia del Aguila
As the political crisis in Peru worsens, Alicia del Aguila explores its roots. Key to understanding it are the political polarisation of recent years, tension between the Central and Southern Andes, and the historical marginalisation of indigenous people Read more
Dario Mazzola
By the time Italians went to the polls in September, the victory of Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party was a foregone conclusion. Dario Mazzola articulates the factors that led to the formation of the most right-wing government in the history of the Italian Republic Read more
