Since overcoming colonisation and winning independence, a lot of African countries have had to fight for democracy. After years of one-party or one-man rule, more nations are finally beginning to embrace
Now, 18 countries across the continent can be counted as functioning democracies while about 35 are transitioning towards democracy. This move is being appreciated by Africa's citizens as confirmed by extensive surveys by Afrobarometer, which is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that cares about letting the people of Africa have their say.
According to this network, the majority of people living on the continent prefer democracy to the alternative - tyranny or dictatorship.
As a result of this improvement, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's 2018 Index of African Governance has discovered that "…governance on our continent, on average, is slowly improving … approximately three out of four African citizens live in a country where governance has improved over the last ten years."
As people across the continent prepare once again to exercise their democratic right, Business Insider Sub Saharan Africa takes a look at all the elections happening in 2019:
Algeria - President elections in 2019
Benin - National Assembly in 2019
Botswana - National Assembly & local in 2019; President by National Assembly also in 2019
Cameroon - National Assembly, Senate & local by late 2019 (postponed from late 2018)
Chad - National Assembly & local on May 2019 (postponed from 30 Nov 2018)
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - Local elections postponed to sometime in 2019 from Nov 2016
Egypt - Local by July 2019
Ethiopia - Regional State Councils & local by 2019 (postponed from 2018); House of the Federation (indirect, by Regional State Councils) in 2019
Ghana - District, Local & Unit in 2019
Guinea - National Assembly by January 2019
Guinea-Bissau - National People's Assembly & Senate elections postponed to Dec 2018 or Jan 2019 from 18 Nov 2018; President by 2019
Malawi - President, National Assembly & local on 21 May 2019
Mauritania - President & Senate (1/3) by early (March?) 2019
Mozambique - President, National Assembly & provincial on 15 Oct 2019
Namibia - President & National Assembly in 2019
Niger - Local elections postponed from 8 Jan 2017 to 2019
Nigeria - President, House of Representatives & Senate on 16 Feb 2019; State Assemblies & Governors on 2 Mar 2019
Senegal - President, regional & local on 24 Feb 2019
Somaliland (autonomous region) - House of Representatives & Senate on 28 Apr 2019
South Africa - National Assembly & Provincial Legislatures by May 2019; President by National Assembly in 2019
Tunisia - President, House of Representatives, House of Councillors in 2019.