Cross Post from the Nordic Africa Institute -- "Dangerous Deadlock in Djibouti"

Below is our summary of an article that can be found at the NAI Forum. Please visit the original source for the full story.

With much election coverage in the continent focusing on high profile cases such as Zimbabwe and Mali, it is important to remember the wealth of political and electoral developments all over Africa. The NAI Forum, a policy blog associated with the Nordic Africa Institute, recently posted an article by one of their researchers Redie Bereketeab on Djibouti's February 2013 elections. They were based on a semi-proportional electoral system, a break from the ruling party's past attempts at securing it's own dominance with a majority-based vote. While the People's Rally for Progress (PRP) still came out the victor and had given the opposition party an unusual level of media and campaign openness, the outcome was nonetheless contested by the United National Salvation party (USN) as being deeply unjust. In similar circumstances the international community might have spoken out, but the West relies on Djibouti as a strategic ally, and actors such as the United States are choosing to remain largely mute and avoid angering the nation's government.

In the article, Bereketeab lays out the background for the election, reasons for opposition protests and more information on the strategic positioning between Djibouti and other international powers. He finishes by explaining the nature of this political deadlock, one divided not only by political ideology but issues of ethnicity and class. Given ongoing popular repression in the aftermath of the Djibouti's election, context such as this provided by the Nordic Africa Institute is essential. Djibouti, an important country in the horn of Africa, is now subject to government crackdowns, the threat of Islamic radicalization and everything that can follow a contested election. Projecting it's future and planning ongoing relationships requires understanding developments in the present.

To read Redie Bereketeab's take on this election, make sure to visit the blog post on the NAI Forum here.

Photo attributed to Cristina317 on Flickr Creative Commons