Le président congolais Félix Tshisekedi a prêté serment le 20 janvier 2024, à l’issue des élections du 20 au 27 décembre 2023 qui lui ont permis d’obtenir 73,34% des suffrages valablement exprimés. Cette note soutient que pour évaluer l’importance des récentes élections au Congo, nous devons regarder comment elles ont restructuré les relations de pouvoir existantes et ont posé de nouveaux défis au régime.
Elections are not an end in themselves
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi was sworn in on 20 January 2024, following the elections of 20-27 December 2023 which gave him 73.34% of the valid votes cast. This brief argues that in order to value the real importance of Congo’s recent elections, we have look at how they have restructured existing power structures and have posed new challenges to the regime on how to negotiate between the consolidation of its own power, and the demands and expectations expressed by the Congolese population.
Climate Change and Conflict in the Ruzizi Plain (DRC)
The report discusses the way in which climate change effects play out locally in South Kivu’s Ruzizi Plain, and how they interact with, add to, or alter existing conflict dynamics in this territory. It has found that both sudden onset climate change impacts, such as flooding, and slow onset impacts, such as drought and changing vegetation patterns, aggravate livelihood vulnerabilities and existing tensions over resources within Ruzizi Plain communities.
From Suits to Olive Green: Zelenskyy’s Populism
This essay embarks on a scholarly exploration of the nuanced realm of populist rhetoric, focusing on the case of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the intricate landscape of Ukraine’s political dynamics. The analysis encompasses the dynamic evolution of populist discourse in response to pivotal events, particularly the heightened Russo-Ukrainian border tensions and the subsequent full-scale Russian invasion.
Populism in Ethiopia?
This essay looks at Ethiopian prime Minister Abiy and his Medemer philosophy through Laclau’s concept of the “empty signifier” in order to examine the discursive means through which the Prime Minister has upheld his high level of popularity even when political actions taken on behalf of his party seemingly contravened the very principles of his philosophy.