The voters' friend

After a decade of democratisation, some elections are bringing change, some are not

France's electoral downs and ups over the past few months have provoked some sardonic comment in the Francophone African press especially when extreme right-wing Front National leader Jean-Marie le Pen edged the incumbent Socialist Premier Lionel Jospin out of the presidential contest in the 21 April first round. Delight at French discomfiture was understandable in former colonies such as Mali and Senegal.

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Jean-Marie le Pen, Lionel Jospin, Mali, Senegal, François Mitterrand, Congo-Brazzaville, Canada, Jacques Chirac, Togo, Cameroon, Ferdinand Koungou Edima, Paul Biya, Ahmadou Ahidjo, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Sylvanus Olympio,, It's better in the Sahel, Abdoulaye Wade, Amadou Toumani Touré, Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, Bénéwende Sankara, Herman Yaméogo, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Alpha Oumar Konaré, Norbert Zongo, Liberian, Charles Taylor, Gabon, Omar Bongo, United States, Chad, Mandé Sidibé, Pakistani, Niger, Mamadou Tandja, Cheick Oumarou Ismael, Back in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, Sudan, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Pascal Lissouba, Mathias Dzon, Bernard Kolélas, Front National, Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès, Union pour la Renaissance/Mouvement Sankariste, Assemblée des Députés du Peuple, Alliance pour la Démocratie et la Fédération-Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, Parti pour la Démocratie et le Progrès, La Francophonie, Françafrique, Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur la Démocratie et le Développement en Afrique, Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme, Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais, Association Islamique du Niger, Rassemblement des Républicains, départements, Parti Congolais du Travail

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