African elections 2026: Polls to expect, between lack of change and uncertainty
After tense general elections in Uganda in January, Presidential elections are to take place in DR Congo in March then in Benin and in Djibouti in April. But other polls are also scheduled all over the continent, from Libya to Zambia, including Ethiopia in June, The Gambia and South Sudan in December, some facing many points of uncertainty. I look at what's at stake.
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Africa’s 2026 elections will unfold against the backdrop of a few complex voting results in 2025. Persistent concerns around political inclusion, institutional independence, and civic space were indeed highlighted by electoral outcomes in Cameroon, Tanzania, Guinea Bissau, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Uganda's general elections only confirmed these worries, with President Yoweri Museveni winning a seventh term, through severe repression against all forms of opposition.
Scheduled polls
All year long, election days are already on the calendar for many parts of Africa, from the West to the South West.
Congo (Brazzaville) – Presidential Election (on March 22, 2026)
Politics in the Republic of the Congo has been dominated by President Denis Sassou Nguesso since 1979, when he first became president. And he has been the continuous head of state again since 1997.
In between, he was the leader of the party in power, thus governing for over four decades across two periods.
His nomination by the ruling Congolese Labour Party (PCT) for another term reinforces his dominance and leaves very little hope for change.
Benin – Presidential Election (12 April 2026)
Beninese citizens voted in January to choose their local representatives and parliamentarians, following a revised electoral calendar that ensures that all polls now take place in a single year. But people are still waiting for final results, and wary after an attempted coup last year against President Patrice Talon.
The incumbent has already said will not run in April, so two candidates are set to contest: Economy Minister Romuald Wadagni, chosen by the presidential coalition, and Paul Hounkpè, who will stand for the Cauris Forces for an Emerging Benin, known as the FCBE.
While Benin was once regarded as a regional democratic model, the past few years have raised concerns over the lack of political inclusion and restrictive electoral reforms.
Major opposition parties were barred from contesting, and the election also comes against a backdrop of the multiple coups in the West Africa region, which put the Ecowas regional powers on alert.
Ethiopia – General Elections (1 June 2026)
Ethiopia has been going through stark international conflicts since Abiy Ahmed Ali became Prime Minister in 2018 and the leader of the Prosperity Party since 2019. The wars in Tigray and Amhara regions have profoundly destabilised the equilibrium between the different groups forming the federation.
"The country’s political context remains shaped by post-conflict recovery efforts, regional tensions, and debates over federal governance," according to the African Elections Project, established by the platform Penplusbytes in 2008 to increase elections knowledge.
Electoral readiness varies significantly across regions, and observers have regularly denounced political repression, rigging and other exclusionary tactics.
The electoral campaign also comes as fears of a reignated conflict with neighbouring Eritrea are growing.
Zambia – General Election (13 August 2026)
President Hakainde Hichilema faces a 2026 vote that will test his incumbency amid economic pressures and shifting political alliances.
As Zambia is considered one of the region’s more competitive democracies, electoral integrity is relatively strong, but voter decisions might depend on economic performance, youth employment, and service delivery.
Despite a fragmented opposition and the advantage of incumbency, his chances of a second term will depend largely on public perceptions of governance.
Critics argue that Hichilema is seeking to bolster his electoral prospects by signing a law expanding parliamentary seats from 167 to 280, including allocations for women, youth, and candidates with disabilities.
Uncertainty
Other polls are scheduled for later in the year, in The Gambia on 5 December 2026 for a Presidential Election and in South Sudan – for general elections in December 2026.
A few others elections are also scheduled for 2026 in Africa, but dates remain unconfirmed:
-in Djibouti, where a presidential election is supposed to take place in April 2026, but the date remains unknown;
-in Libya, where general elections are set for April too, but, facing tremendous obstacles after years of civil war, they seem "very unlikely" experts told me;
- in Somalia, with a presidential election on the line for June 2026;
-and in Morocco, where the parliamentary elections should take place September 2026, but their date remains uncertain.
The autonomous region of Somaliland is also due to hold parliamentary and municipal elections this year. The territory recently saw its luck change when it was recognised as an independent state for the first time, by Israel in December, inducing strong worries throughout the region and beyond.
Some of the smallest countries of the continent, including the island nations of Cabo Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe, are also going to the polls.
What is sure, as Joseph Siegle and Hany Wahila wrote for the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, is that "many of the African countries going to the polls in 2026 face fundamental democratic tests of crafting effective checks on the executive to enable power sharing and popular representation."
