Prospects for Guinean elections after the coup are uncertain

After Guinea’s coup on 5 September 2021, the country is facing an uncertain outlook, with heterogenous democratic actors operating between the camps of former and new rulers. The African Union and ECOWAS are trying to appease the situation, but whether it will be sufficient to secure elections in 2022 remains unclear

Could the South Tyrol model bring peace to Nagorno-Karabakh?

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan spans several decades and led to a war between the two nations at the end of 2020. Roland Benedikter examines whether South Tyrol in northern Italy might offer a viable model for establishing lasting peace in the region

Chile's 2017 presidential election: who will win and why?

Disillusionment with the second centre-left government of Michelle Bachelet will likely see the return of the conservative right, write Roland Benedikter (EURAC Research, COHA, University of Wroclaw) and Miguel Zlosilo (Artool, Chile) in the second of a two-part series on Chile's 2017 presidential election

An interview with pro-democracy leader Sadio Barry on Guinea’s coup and prospects for democracy

After the highly contested re-election in Guinea of long-time-ruler President Alpha Condé to a third term on 18 October 2020, social unrest and violence gradually worsened in the country. Many dissidents and opposition leaders accused the president of falsifying both the elections and the constitution, allowing for a third presidential term in the first place. One year later, on 5 September 2021, a group of elite military forces trained in France – created by the president himself to defend him from alleged ‘terror’ – staged a coup. The leader of these forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, took power and installed a new prime minister, the former UN employee and ‘development veteran’ Mohamed Beavogui, along with a government that explicitly promised that no member would stand in future democratic elections in 2022 or earlier

Symbolic emancipation and present challenges in Togo

Roland Benedikter and William Mensa Tsedze present a retrospective analysis of the progress and issues faced by Togo since its independence

Chile’s constitutional referendum points to a difficult path ahead

Chileans will vote on a new constitution after submitting a new text to replace the current one, which stems from the Augusto Pinochet era. The uncertainty over its approval comes from the disenchant towards a real social, economic and political reform, meaning that Chile’s democracy is in a challenging moment, Miguel Zlosilo (Artool, Chile) and Roland Benedikter (Willy Brandt Centre of the University of Wroclaw) explain

Chile's 2017 presidential election: evaluating the second Bachelet government

As the nation heads to the polls, the balance sheet of Michelle Bachelet's second government is negative, write Roland Benedikter (EURAC Research, COHA, University of Wroclaw) and Miguel Zlosilo (Artool, Chile) in the first of a two-part series on Chile's 2017 presidential election

Italy’s migration crisis is a clear threat to European unity

While the migration crisis has eased in other EU countries such as Greece, Italy’s coastline remains an entrance point for irregular migration. Roland Benedikter and Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski track Italy’s attempts to deal with the problem. They argue that the absence of solidarity from the rest of the EU is fostering Euroscepticism and that it would be in the EU’s long-term interest to provide the country with greater support

‘Progress for the Few’ – a retrospective of democratisation and development in Togo

After signs of democratic awakening spreading throughout Africa such as with Gambia’s opposition winning the presidential elections in December 2016, Togo remains the only ECOWAS nation still waiting for substantial democratisation since the 1960s, according to Roland Benedikter and William Mensa Tsedze

The EU at 60: why there is hope the future will be brighter than many expect

The European Union is marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which was signed on 25 March 1957. But given the UK’s decision to leave the EU and rising scepticism in many European countries, is there a bleak future for the integration process? Roland Benedikter and Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski argue that the EU is in a significantly healthier position than it appears, and that far from grinding to a halt, European integration will continue to be relevant in the coming decades