Mo Ibrahim unhappy with electoral tensions in Africa
A Tanzania National Electoral Commission official prepares ballot boxes as early morning queues of voters start to form at Wazo Hill polling station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on October 28, 2020. PHOTO: AFP
What you need to know:
- Mo Ibrahim says Africa’s democratic gains over the past two decades were being rolled back across too many countries.
Dar es Salaam. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which supports good governance and exceptional leadership on the African continent, is unhappy with electoral tensions in the continent.
The foundation’s board, which is chaired by its founder Sudanese-born British billionaire businessman, Mohammed Ibrahim (Mo Ibrahim), said in a statement on October 30, that violence against peaceful demonstrators or detention of political opponents were disturbing.
He called upon parties to resolve their differences through constructive and open dialogue.
“There have already been too many reports of violence against peaceful demonstrators or detention of political opponents….. We call on all parties to respect the rights and dignity of all citizens and resolve their differences through constructive and open dialogue,” the MO Ibrahim Foundation says.
According to the statement, Africa’s democratic gains over the past two decades were being rolled back across too many countries.
“This is unacceptable,” Mo Ibrahim Foundation says.
It is the view of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation that while the world was preoccupied with the fight to control the Covid-19 pandemic, some political leaders felt they could act with impunity and trample over the rights of their fellow citizens.
“Election processes should be clarified and agreed before elections, and where disputes arise these should be settled in courts not on the streets,” the statement reads.
