African Governments

Key Words Chief of State: The official leader of the country who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but who may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government Head of Government: the top administrative leader who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the government U.S. President = chief of state and head of government U.K. Monarch = chief of state prime minister = head of government

Republic of Kenya Kenya is a republic with tightly-controlled individual states. Had a presidential form of democracy until At that time, the position of prime minister was established. Currently, Kenya has a power-sharing agreement between the president and the prime minister. The president is the chief of state and the prime minister is the head of government. Many political parties, but most are aligned with one of the two coalition parties. Citizen participation: All citizens over 18 may vote in elections

Republic of South Africa South Africa is a parliamentary democracy. The National Assembly is elected by the citizens. The president is elected by members of the National Assembly. The president is both chief of state and head of government. Citizen participation: All citizens over 18 may vote in elections. Provincial premiers (governors) are appointed by the national government.

Republic of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is the current president of the Republic of Sudan; however, many people consider him a dictator. Until 1993, he was the leader of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (awesome name!). This group led a bloodless coup in Opposition parties were banned and Islamic law was established in parts of Sudan. In 1993, he appointed himself president of Sudan and was given extensive executive and legislative powers. He was “elected” president three years later. He was the only eligible candidate for president.

Republic of Sudan Sudan was involved in a 20 year long civil war between the Arab north and the native African south (different ethnicities and religions). In an attempt to reduce violence and bring political stability, a peace agreement was reached in 2005 and southern Sudan was granted autonomy for six years. The government was designed as a transitional authority, and elections were scheduled for Al-Bashir promised free and fair elections. Elections were finally held in April of Omar al-Bashir was re-elected as president. Unofficially, he is considered a dictator.

The elections were the first multi-party elections in 20 years; however, the United States claimed the elections were not free and fair according to international standards. Other countries (like Russia and China) have said the elections were fair according to African standards. Southern Sudan had a referendum on independence in January. The results: 99% voted for independence. The name of the new country will be South Sudan. Citizen participation: All citizens over 17 may vote in elections; however, most elections are neither free nor fair.

A little gossip for ya… Omar married his cousin Fatima. One wife just wasn’t enough for him, though. He also married Widad. Her former husband was in the RCC and died in a helicopter crash. He doesn’t have any kids, but Widad has two from her previous marriage. Wikileaks has revealed that al-Bashir has embezzled about $9 billion dollars. Where did all that money come from?

Omar al-Bashir The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest. It indicted him on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his actions in the Darfur region of Sudan. “murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing, and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians, and pillaging their property.” In retaliation for the arrest warrant, al-Bashir ejected all foreign aid groups in March 2009, creating a humanitarian crisis for millions of Sudanese. He said Sudan would provide aid to the people of Darfur. Sources say his military is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, and it has displaced over 2.7 million people since Who is this?

Symbols? Metaphors? Irony? What is the cartoonist’s message?