A number of countries defended the role of the Court, while others highlighted the need for reforms in order for the Court to have legitimacy on the continent. [...] In all the other cases, the suppression of the freedoms of speech and association may have altered the outcome of the elections. [...] According to the BTI 2016 Benin Country Report, despite occasional attempts by the executive to interfere in the functioning of the legislative and judicial institutions, those bodies have, for the most part, affirmed their independence and ability to act effectively as a counterbalance to the executive. [...] Secretary of State, John Kerry, qualified the Gambian elections as the beginning of a “new era in The Gambia.” He commended Jammeh for respecting the results of the election, and the Electoral Commission for its transparent handling. [...] The East African region hosts the highest number of refugees on the continent and some of the longest wars in countries like Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with brewing or resurgent conflicts in Burundi, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.
- Pages
- 35
- Published in
- Canada
