ELECTORAL GOVERNANCE IN TIMES OF CRISIS IN THE SAHELO-SAHARAN STATES:

The Sahelo-Saharan States have faced an unprecedented series of crises from 2012 to the present day. To ensure that the State functions properly and to meet development and security challenges in these countries, peaceful, transparent and credible elections are essential. This has not always been the case, however. Electoral conflicts triggered by disputed elections in the Sahelo-Saharan countries are not new phenomena. They are an extension of the security crisis these States are going through. They follow a decade of crisis rooted in various internal causes, some of which have crystallised around disputed election results, leading in most cases to unrest and violent demonstrations that further weaken these institutions.
It should be noted that these electoral crises have been exacerbated by an unstable regional context; they are also a source of political tension that helps undermine the legitimacy of the authorities resulting from these elections.