Djibouti is a republic ruled by an authoritative president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has been in office for last 25 years since 1999. There is no term limits for post of president. While Djibouti officially has a multiparty political system, the ruling Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP) employs authoritarian means to maintain its position […]
President Paul Biya has been ruling Cameroon since 1982. His Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) has retained power by rigging elections, limiting the activities of opposition parties, and using state resources for political patronage. NGOs and press freedom are under restriction, and due process protections are really poorly upheld. A struggle between security forces and […]
Benin was once among the most stable democracies in sub-Saharan Africa, but President Patrice Talon started using the justice system to attack his political adversaries after taking office in 2016, and electoral rules and a clampdown on his political adversaries allowed him to consolidate his power in 2021. Deadly police violence at political demonstrations, arrests […]
Angola has been governed by the same party since freedom, and authorities have very systematically supressed political dissent. Due process violations, corruption, and abuses by security forces remain common. Some restraints on the civil society and press were eased in 2017 after President JoãoLourenço took office, but that partial opening has since been reversed. Electoral […]
A closed elite based in the military and the ruling party have long dominated political affairs in Algeria. While there are many opposition parties in Parliament, elections are slanted by fraud, and electoral processes lacks transparency. Other concerns include legal restrictions on media freedom, suppression of street protests, and rampant corruption. The Hirak protest movement […]
After getting independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina traversed through military and democratic rule for more than a century. In 1943, army officer Juan Perón captured power in a coup, and reigned Argentina on and off for the next three decades. His populist political philosophy, famed as Peronism, has dominated the nation’s politics ever since. […]
Elections are held regularly in Ecuador, and some vital state institutions have shown greater independence in recent years. Nevertheless, violent crime, which has markedly gone up in recent years, has had a deep impact on the functioning of government and daily life for ordinary people. Official corruption, attacks on journalists, and due process violations are […]
Brazil is very much a democracy. It has a presidential and federal governance system. Its present constitution provides strong protections for civil liberties. It also guarantees many rights including right to employment, healthcareand childcare. There is an independent judiciary, central bank and media and the nation has seen a peaceful transition of power since it […]
Chile is a steady democracy that has experienced a substantial expansion of political rights and civil liberties after the return of civilian rule in 1990. Enduring concerns include corruption and unrest related to land disputes with Indigenous Mapuche people. Electoral Process Presidential elections in Chile are known to be free and fair. Direct elections are […]
Colombia is amongst the longest-standing Latin American democracies, but one with a history of serious human rights abuses and widespread violence. Public institutions have shown the capacity to check executive power, and the nation’s main left-wing guerrilla group signed a peace accord in 2016. However, Colombia faces huge challenges in consolidating peace and guaranteeing civil […]
Governmental structure: the quest for a balance between the legislative and executive powers The 1987 Constitution specifies in no uncertain terms that Haiti is a Republic where three powers coexist: the legislative, executive and judicial. The President, elected via direct universal suffrage, is not only the Head of State but even the head of the […]
El Salvador’s President NayibBukele was re-elected on February 4, 2024, despite a constitutional ban on successive terms, and his New Ideas party secured a supermajority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. Voters rewarded the incumbent for radically improving the nation’s internal security situation, ignoring that he had eroded constitutional checks and balances and crimped civil […]
Grenada is a parliamentary democracy where credible elections are held regularly. Enduring concerns include violence against women and children, corruption and discrimination against LGBT+ people. Political Rights The prime minister, generally the leader of the largest party in Parliament, is head of government. Following the June 2022 elections, National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Dickon Mitchell […]
Constitutional framework The constitution of The Bahamas, embraced upon independence in 1973, is based on the Westminster model—i.e., that of the UK. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate, whose powers are restricted in comparison to those of the House. The formal head of state is still the British monarch, […]
