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Published 6th February 1998

Vol 39 No 3

Ghana

Finding flagbearers

Two years before the next election and amid more economic problems, the parties are agonising over their presidential candidates

The best chance for the ruling National Democratic Congress to win the election in 2000 would be to find a way to put up incumbent President Jerry John Rawlings for a third term. He is constitutionally barred but Accra is awash with stories about constitutional amendments. To change this would be a major political project: the government would have to hold a referendum and jump through several political hoops. Yet to judge by his recent public outings - reviewing the armed forces’ march past or energetically helping to dig out drainage canals in the Accra slums - Rawlings isn’t ready for retirement.

Wall Street is coming

Image courtesy of Panos Pictures

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Pretoria sees the invasion by US bankers as a vote of confidence in tough economic times

South Africa faces tough times. The African National Congress government hopes that foreign banks will help it through them, while the bankers are looking to make money from...

More than money

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ZANU fears the riots in Harare were about politics as much as economics

Facing his 74th birthday on 21 February, President Robert Mugabe must be thinking hard about his future and his legacy. The food riots of 19-21 January were the...

Rene´ Inc.

The new political generation believe they can take radical economic change in their stride

Stable politics may be about to produce radical economic changes. On 20 March, the presidential and parliamentary elections are unlikely to upset President France-Albert René or his ruling...

Jump or be pushed

Abuja is working on a military option if the Freetown junta refuses to go in April

The commitment that Major Johnny Paul Koroma’s Freetown junta gave Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi, to hand over power by 22 April, looks less credible by the day....

Pointers

Europe's concern

The European Union’s 20-21 January trip to Algiers achieved little. Public pressure in Europe and North Africa to stem a spiralling death toll had forced the EU to...

Mountain death

The Defence Minister’s death on 28 January is a hard blow for regime and army. Colonel Firmin Sinzoyiheba and four others died when their helicopter crashed during a...

Energetic

Russia is still punching holes in United States’ sanctions: its Fuel and Energy Ministry is finalising an agreement with Tripoli that is to relaunch oil projects stalled by...

No frills

p>General Anthony Zenny paid his first visit to Ethiopia as Commander, United States Central Command (which includes Ethiopia), on 22 January. A marine who served with US forces...

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