WACPODIS – COVID19 Series Policy Brief 3
In West Africa, 2020 is the year of highly anticipated elections, however, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic poses enormous challenges for these elections and threatens to overturn other democratic ideals including frequent political dialogues, political party campaigns and manifesto interrogations vis-à-vis active citizen participation across the region. Globally, elections and electoral processes are often marked by the high volume of human engagement and interactions, and a decision to hold elections during a crisis period (such as during the current pandemic) portends an obvious risk of accelerating rather than flattening the curve of the spread of the virus. The latter being the desired goal of many including individuals, business entities, governments and indeed, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and West African Health Organisation (WAHO) which led the process assiduously.
Read Full Report here.
