African satirists are poking fun at Trump’s lust for power. If mediation between Trump and Biden fails, the African Union will be forced to intervene in the United States with African countries threatening to impose sanctions on Donald Trump and his administration. Trump’s attempts to steal the election with the help of armed militia endangers innocent American lives and may even force African states to intervene with its military, the African Union reports.
The above statement does not come from African governments, but from Patrick Gathara, a satirist from Kenya. Through his popular Twitter channel (154,000 followers), Gathara, who creates newspaper cartoons in his own country and is regularly read in the US as an editorial writer for the Washington Post, has been commenting on the election process in America for several days with the intention of holding up a mirror to Westerners. The way African elections are often reported, according to Gathara, now applies to the US, the country that is used to wagging a pointed finger whilst instructing how democracy should work in Africa.
Similarities
Gathara is not alone in his snide criticism. In many African countries, commentators are currently pointing to the similarities between the stereotypical image of a power-hungry African leader and Donald Trump and the flaws in which the way America, until recently the self-proclaimed super-spreader of democracy in Africa, functions itself. Whether it’s claiming an election victory prematurely, thwarting certain population groups from being able to cast their votes, demanding personal loyalty from ministers, or appointing family members to important positions, the similarities between Trump and some African rulers seem huge.
Based on the reactions of various African American observers, the title of an opinion piece featuring on the Nigerian news website, The Cable, is “Donald Trump, the African strongman in America.” The article draws a comparison with rulers in unfree countries such as Cameroon and Burundi. Another cartoon by the Ugandan cartoonist, Spire, says “Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for 34 years, advises Trump to use the services of the anything but the independent electoral commission in Uganda to count his votes”.
Pity
The discussion regarding the parallels between politics in Trump’s America and that of many African countries was partly initiated by the US itself. For example, in the months prior to Americans going to the ballot box, the authoritative think-tank, Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, organized a special online debate series called ‘Africa reacts’. In this series, academics, journalists, and other experts from African countries offered their view on the American election campaign. “I feel sorry for the Americans now that they have to deal with a president who has little regard for others,” commented a political scientist from The Gambia last month, a country where, until 2017, the maniacal president Yahya Jammeh was in power.
Others view the extreme polarization in America as an additional reason to think about Africa’s own forms of democracy. Sithembile Mbete, a political scientist from the University of Pretoria, said “Can we find models within our own societies to build on? The difficult work of defining democracy and good governance apart from the US is really starting now”
Thus indicating that American credibility could certainly now use a boost. This was also evident last week in the aftermath of elections in Tanzania, Ivory Coast, and Guinea when the presidents of these three countries tightened their grip on power through highly controversial elections. American diplomats then called on those countries to respect the rule of law which has now transpired to be somewhat hypocritical. For example, in response to America’s words of caution to Tanzania, someone on Twitter commented, “We expect you to issue a similar statement after your own election on November 3.”
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Philadelphia has indicated what happens when Trump says it’s time for action. Trump supporters will not accept any outcome other than victory, and they will never address anyone other than Trump as “president.” At worst, after an email from Trump’s campaign team indicating that it is time for action, they will grab their weapons and head to town. Will Republicans soon have to choose between democracy and their leader? Republican leaders face a dilemma: Will they continue to support Trump unconditionally, no matter how far he goes? Or will they criticize him and be at risk of being targeted by Trump’s supporters?
If Joe Biden wins, a hostile Senate could make things difficult for him. Even he is named the 46th President of the United States, it could become very difficult for him to carry out his political agenda. The battle is not over yet, but there is a good chance that the Senate will remain in Republican hands.
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
