Elections
AHEAD Africa members and local partners will deploy accredited domestic citizen observers for learning and observation missions, from 2024 to 2027. Countries of focus are selected based the (1) potential impact on the region, (2) significance for consolidating or advancing democratic governance, (3) opportunities for civil society engagement, and (4) concerns related to election integrity. These missions will gather findings and recommendations for post-election follow-up.
Discover all elections we support
Benin
11 January 2026Weeks after a failed coup attempt in December 2025, Benin’s January 2026 elections tested democratic resilience amid a constrained civic space and rising opposition concerns, while shaping the path to the April presidential race.
Ivory Coast
25 October 2025With Ouattara seeking a fourth term and his main rivals barred, voter excitement was low. 150 observers trained by CRASC-Est and Centre and WAEON monitored the integrity of the electoral process.
Malawi
16 September 2025Malawi's 2025 elections are a test of the country’s democracy, following the historic annulment of the 2019 vote and the fresh 2020 election, which set a precedent for judicial independence and introduced reforms under the new 50%+1 rule.
Ghana
07 December 2024Ghana's 2024 elections presented a key opportunity to consolidate its democratic achievements amidst regional instability. Another example of a ruling party peacefully conceding defeat. What are the findings and recommendations from the election observation mission by E-HORN, WAEON and Penplusbytes?
Namibia
27 November 2024Namibia's 2024 elections saw the first woman as President of the country, while opposition rejected the election results due to technical problems. What are the findings and recommendations from the election observation mission by ESN-SA and ZESN?
Botswana
30 October 2024Botswana's voters ended nearly 60 years of one-party rule, with the ruling party peacefully conceding defeat once the preliminary results were announced. What are the findings and recommendations from the election observation mission by ESN-SA and ZESN?
Mozambique
09 October 2024Mozambique's 2024 elections ended up in a spiral of violence marked by protests and the tragic killings of opposition figures. ESN-SA and ZESN conducted a learning observation mission.
South Africa
29 May 2024South Africa's 2024 elections saw the lowest voter turnout in the country's democratic history since the end of apartheid. What are the findings and recommendations from the election observation missions by ESN-SA, E-HORN, and the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council?
All countries from A to Z
Latest on our Elections activities
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Ethiopia: The answer is together
“If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together.”
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Tanzania: A toast to flawed elections
Under curfews and internet shutdowns, the election served the powerful, not the people.
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A message from the EU-AU ambassador on International Democracy Day
Today, we celebrate democracy; every day we work together to protect it.
