AHEAD Africa

11/06/2026

🇸🇸 postponed its 2024 elections to 2026.

This decision was advocated for by AHEAD Africa partners, in light of concerns regarding electoral readiness.

🗳️ We’re working with local partners to improve preparations and support a credible electoral process.

Read more about our work in South Sudan and across the continent 📖 https://bit.ly/4s20Qgu

04/06/2026

🔬 New research!

Youth in the Sahel are not politically disengaged. 📊

Instead, they are reshaping political participation through digital means, navigating the constraints of authoritarian or semi-authoritarian systems.

A deep dive into online conversations among youth in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Togo 📱 https://bit.ly/4fmb5J3

Research ICT Africa

02/06/2026

Election observers are citizens first. 👤

Citizens should not need permission to observe their own elections, yet in too many places, election observation is treated as a crime.

It’s time to reshape the narrative and recognise the value of election observation.

Read the article ➡️ https://ahead.africa/en/election-observers-are-first-citizens/

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Les observateurs électoraux sont des citoyens avant tout. 👤

Les citoyens ne devraient pas avoir besoin d’autorisation pour observer leurs propres élections, pourtant, dans trop de contextes, l’observation électorale est traitée comme un délit. Il est temps de changer le récit et de reconnaître la valeur de l’observation électorale.

Lire l’article ➡️ https://ahead.africa/fr/election-observers-are-first-citizens/

Who better to remind us than Dr. Sarah Bireete, who has lived in her own skin how citizen observers are becoming increasingly targeted.

01/06/2026

🇪🇹 is voting as you read this.

50,514,155 Ethiopians are choosing who will represent their needs, with 10,518 candidates from 42 political parties competing for 547 seats.

And AHEAD Africa is inside this moment.

👁️ 40 citizen observers from the Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations - CEHRO are on the ground, from opening to counting, following every step of the process in real time.

And because every election brings its own lessons…

📋 Alongside them, observers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan, under the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network and hosted by the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Election - CECOE, are watching, learning, and documenting to strengthen future electoral interventions across the region.

Stay tuned to see what this election will teach us. 📲

28/05/2026

[EN] Sharing is caring. 🫂

Across Africa, citizens are leading powerful electoral initiatives that deserve to be shared. 🗳️

Our partner Africtivistes has built a platform showcasing 100+ citizen-led initiatives so we can learn from each other and improve our electoral practices.

📣 Show that you care and share your initiative 🌐 bit.ly/4kGoBqI

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[FR] Partager, c’est prendre soin. 🫂

À travers l’Afrique, des citoyens portent des initiatives électorales fortes qui méritent d’être partagées. 🗳️

Notre partenaire Africtivistes a mis en place une plateforme qui rassemble plus de 100 initiatives citoyennes, afin que nous puissions apprendre les uns des autres et améliorer nos pratiques électorales.

📣 Montrez votre engagement et partagez votre initiative 🌐 bit.ly/4kGoBqI

27/05/2026

[EN] | 📚 ?

head to the polls next Monday. 🗳️

🇪🇹 After years of war, regional tensions, and fragile transitions, these elections will test whether Ethiopia can hold its federal system together—or whether the cracks widen under pressure.

This is not just another election. It’s a stress test for stability, governance, and regional security.

Read why Ethiopia’s elections matter now more than ever by the International Republican Institute (IRI) 📖 https://bit.ly/3Q0Z3dQ

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[FR] | 📚 ?

Les Éthiopiens se rendent aux urnes lundi prochain. 🗳️

🇪🇹 Après des années de guerre, de tensions régionales et de transitions fragiles, ces élections testeront la capacité de l’Éthiopie à maintenir son équilibre fédéral — ou à voir ses fractures s’aggraver.

Ce n’est pas une élection comme les autres : c’est un test de stabilité, de gouvernance et de sécurité régionale.

Lire pourquoi les élections en Éthiopie comptent plus que jamais via l’International Republican Institute (IRI) 📖 https://bit.ly/3Q0Z3dQ

26/05/2026

🚫 Sabia que, na , a lei proíbe a observação eleitoral feita por organizações nacionais?

Sem observadores independentes no terreno, as eleições ficam mais vulneráveis a irregularidades e manipulações. ⚠️

Em 2024 e 2025, a AHEAD Africa apoiou redes de observadores eleitorais em vários países africanos para acompanhar de perto cada etapa do processo, denunciar problemas em tempo real e reforçar a credibilidade das eleições.

Descubra tudo o que já fizemos na área da observação eleitoral 🌐 https://bit.ly/4uMr8Fs

22/05/2026

🚨 Resolution 648 on electoral integrity must move forward.

At the 87th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul, , our own Andrew Songa had the opportunity to share this message with Chair Hon. Idrissa Sow assure our support and partnership.

📄 He also presented our recommendations from the AHEAD Africa Second Electoral Integrity Summit.

Take a look at what must be done to strengthen elections in Africa:
EN 🖇️ https://bit.ly/4uXUqjB
FR 🖇️ https://bit.ly/4dqJXpy

21/05/2026

Ethiopians are deciding their future in less than 2 weeks. 🇪🇹
This is no longer just about ballots. It’s about working together.

Read the article ➡️ https://ahead.africa/en/ethiopia-the-answer-is-together/

African Election Observers Network, East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network, Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations - CEHRO

The credibility of elections in Ethiopia relies on all actors—civil society, authorities, and citizens—working together.

20/05/2026

[EN] | 📚 ?

African civic space in 2026 is shaped by erosion and resistance. ⚠️

Democratic gains are weakening, military rule is extending beyond transition promises, and ties with international institutions are being redefined, while elections often lack real competition. 🌍

📣 Yet civil society continues to push back, exposing abuses and insisting on change.

Read more about continent civic space in Africa by Monitor 🌐 https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2026-state-of-civil-society-report/overview-resistance-against-the-tide/

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[FR] | 📚 ?

L’espace civique en Afrique en 2026 est marqué par une dynamique d’érosion et de résistance. ⚠️

Les acquis démocratiques s’affaiblissent, les régimes militaires se prolongent, les liens avec les institutions internationales évoluent, et les élections manquent souvent de réelle compétition. 🌍

📣 Pourtant, la société civile résiste, dénonçant les abus et appelant au changement.

En savoir plus sur l’espace civique sur le continent africain avec le CIVICUS Monitor 🌐 https://bit.ly/3PMVSX2