Yesterday, Jacob Zuma, was sworn in as South Africa’s President. What is instructive is the peaceful transition that South Africans have allowed themselves. Whereas peaceful transitions should be the norm, this has been a rare occurrence in most of Africa.
Transfer of power has in most cases in post-colonial Africa been a violent affair; in the form of military coups or civil war. Despite its history of racial tension and apartheid, South Africans have since 1994, and on many occasions demonstrated a high level of political maturity as evidenced by the …

The awkward issue of democracy in Fiji will dominate a meeting of South Pacific leaders in Papua New Guinea.
There is disagreement on how to respond to the failure of Fiji’s military-led government to hold elections.
Both Australia and New Zealand appear to be losing patience with the Fijian military and are pushing for tougher sanctions.
Smaller island nations, including Tonga and Samoa, have said they will oppose any heavy-handed tactics.
Fiji’s military seized power more than two years ago and shows no sign of returning the country to democratic government anytime soon.

Votes have been held in Thailand for 29 parliamentary seats, seen as the first test of support for the new coalition government of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva.
His Democrat Party-led coalition came to power in December and only has a narrow majority in parliament.
The previous leadership was forced out by a court ruling and months of anti-government protests.
The court ruling also banned 29 MPs from politics, triggering by-elections across 22 states.
The previous governing party, allied to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is hoping to pick up enough seats to weaken the new …

Khaleda Zia was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996, the first woman in the country’s history to hold that position..

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – The African Union on Monday suspended Guinea after a military coup in the west African nation.
“The African Union decides to suspend the participation of Guinea in the activities of the African Union until the return of constitutional order in that country,” the pan-African body said in a statement.
The west African country’s suspension from the continental body had been expected since the December 23 military coup.

(CNN) — At 44-years-old Abhisit Vejjajiva is Thailand’s youngest prime minister in more than 60 years. But perhaps more immediately significantly, he is the country’s third prime minister in four months after a period of immense upheaval in Thailand.
Thailand’s recent political turmoil, which included national demonstrations and the forced closures of international airports, dates back to the 2006 coup that overthrew former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the former People’s Power Party leader.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Abhisit Vejjajiva — a patrician 44-year-old with an Oxford education — became Thailand’s prime minister on Monday amid hopes that he can calm the political storms that have battered the country for the past three years.
But untested at the pinnacle of power and said to lack decisiveness, he could face one of the roughest rides in modern Thai history.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Victorious anti-government protesters lifted their siege of Bangkok’s two airports Wednesday while leaders of the ousted government named a caretaker prime minister to lead the politically chaotic kingdom.
The country’s immediate crisis, which virtually severed Thailand’s air links to the outside world for a week, appeared to be over and the People’s Alliance for Democracy said it was ending six months of daily anti-government protests. But the alliance warned it would be on the streets again if a new government tried to return to its past …

BANGKOK: Protestors forced the closure of Bangkok’s second airport Thursday severing the last remaining commercial air links to the Thai capital.
Until Wednesday airlines were operating domestic flights out of Don Muang airport, Bangkok’s oldest airfield.
Officials are now considering using military airports in the area to accommodate flights diverted from Suvarnabhumi airport, which has been closed since Tuesday evening.

BANGKOK — The government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency at Bangkok’s two commercial airports Thursday and instructed police to deal with protesters occupying the facilities, Thai media reported.
It was not immediately clear what measures the declaration authorized.
The order came after a cabinet meeting in the northern city of Chiang Mai, a location apparently chosen to avoid confrontation with demonstrators, who in addition to the Bangkok airports are occupying the prime minister’s offices here in the capital.