Abdiwali Gaas elected new President of Puntland

The former Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdiwali Mohamed Ali Gaas, has become the president-elect of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland Somalia, in a hotly contested parliament vote. He will be the fifth person to hold the post. Abdiwali Gaas, garnered Read on! →

Puntland politicians to pick new President

Puntland is a tiny semi-autonomous region in eastern Somalia, the only and first administration under the new federal government in Somalia. It is roughly a third of the country, and has a population of 3.5 million, enjoying relative stability in Read on! →

The Wrath of Khans: The other presidents of Russia

In between musings about the economy and his republic’s famous honey, Rustem Khamitov admits he is the last President of Bashkortostan. In case your knowledge of ‘stan’ geography is a bit rusty, Bashkortostan is a semi-autonomous republic within Russia, home Read on! →

Brahmi at a protest, on the far left

Tunisia: The second assassination of a secular opposition leader threatens to derail Tunisia’s political transition

On Thursday 25th July 2013 Mohammed Brahmi, a secular opposition figure, was gunned down outside his home in Tunis. The killing is reminiscent of the assassination of Chokri Belaid in February, another leading figure in Tunisia’s leftist opposition and an outspoken critic of the ruling Read on! →

Obama at a pre-election rally in 2012

USA: Scandals and the Obama Administration

Legacy: the buzzword for all incumbents of the oval office fortunate enough to have won a second term. On that clear night in Chicago’s Grant Park in 2008, any brief thought of the president-elect’s legacy was undoubtedly clouded out by Read on! →

A supporter waves a Kenyan flag at the rally.

Kenya: Kenyatta wins but Odinga will challenge

The Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has officially declared Uhuru Kenyatta, from the Jubilee alliance, as Kenya’s fourth president today.

Thousands of supporters turned out on the 10th January to celebrate President Hugo Chávez's inauguration in Caracas. Chávez, however, did not attend, instead remaining in Cuba for medical treatment. [Chavezcandanga]

Venezuela: The future hangs on Chávez´s health

Since Hugo Chávez’s went to Havana in mid-December for an emergency operation, the 58-year-old Venezuelan president´s health status has turned into a storm of rumours, as uncertain as his fourth term in the presidential office.