2022 Elections in Sub-Saharan Africa in Light of International and Regional Changes

Abstract:
 It is expected that some countries of the African continent will witness this year electoral events that will draw special attention due to their consequences and repercussions, in addition to the specificity of the local, regional and international contexts in which they are taking place, which coincide with the escalation of the phenomenon of popular protests and attempts to seize power by the military across the continent. About 7 countries, at least, will face electoral competition that varies between presidential and parliamentary elections this year, while the statistics of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa indicate about 20 electoral events during 2022.
 These elections come in the midst of major political changes that the various countries of the continent are going through, reproducing fragility and weak governance in general. Hence, there are three highly interrelated issues that will dominate most discussions about the future of democracy in the African continent, namely: the emergence of social movements; the unconstitutional toppling of regimes and governments; and a wave of coups undermines civil-military relations.
 This article deals with the phenomenon of electoral benefits in 2022 and the future of democracy in the African continent, through several axes, namely the impasse of democracy in the African context, international and regional changes, the issue of democracy in Africa, political changes and the issue of democracy, transitional periods and elections.