Elections, Democracy, and Covid-19 in West Africa

Date: 

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 8:30am to 9:30am

Location: 

Virtual Event - Details Below

The Covid-19 pandemic poses a significant challenge for African elections. As countries continue to practice social distancing, the realities of containing community spread of the disease present numerous hurdles to the traditional voting process. West African governments—similar to global counterparts, including the United States—will have to weigh the tradeoffs between public safety and democratic imperatives. Leaders who decide to hold planned elections risk hastening the virus’s transmission. On the other hand, the Covid-19 outbreak presents an opportunity for leaders to strengthen their grip on power, exploiting health restrictions to suppress turnout, or even delay voting. 

Keynote address from
Professor Mahmood Yakubu
Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

A discussion with
Idayat Hassan
Director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
Henry Kwasi Prempeh
Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Development (CDD Ghana)

Rachel Beatty Reidl
Director, Einaudi Center;
John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, Cornell University
 
Moderated by
Judd Devermont
Director, CSIS Africa Program

 

ORGANIZER: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

WEBSITE: https://www.csis.org/events/online-event-elections-democracy-and-covid-19-west-africa