Table of African Countries*
Comparative Measures of Freedom
  up or down indicates a change in Political Rights, Civil Liberties, or Status since the last survey. In the Table, click
on the number preceding the arrow for an explanation of the rating and/or status change in the selected country. A rating
of 1 represents the most free and 7 the least free rating.
  Trend Arrows indicate general positive or negative trends since the previous survey that are not
necessarily reflected in the raw points and do not warrant a ratings change.
| Trend |
Country |
Political Rights |
Civil Liberties |
Status |
|
Angola |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Benin |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Botswana |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Burkina Faso |
5 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Burundi |
4 |
5 |
Partly Free |
 |
Cameroon |
6 |
6 |
Not Free |
|
Cape Verde |
1 |
1 |
Free |
|
Central African Rep. |
5 |
5 |
Partly Free |
|
Chad |
7 |
6 |
Not Free |
|
Comoros |
4 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Congo-Brazzaville |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Congo-Kinshasa |
5 |
6 |
Not Free |
|
Côte d'Ivoire |
7 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Djibouti |
5 |
5 |
Partly Free |
|
Equatorial Guinea |
7 |
6 |
Not Free |
|
Eritrea |
7 |
6 |
Not Free |
|
Ethiopia |
5 |
5 |
Partly Free |
|
Gabon |
6 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
The Gambia |
5 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Ghana |
1 |
2 |
Free |
|
Guinea |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
 |
Guinea-Bissau |
4 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Kenya |
4 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Lesotho |
2 |
3 |
Free |
|
Liberia |
3 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Madagascar |
4 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Malawi |
4 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Mali |
2 |
3 |
Free |
|
Mauritania |
4 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Mauritius |
1 |
2 |
Free |
|
Mozambique |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Namibia |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Niger |
3 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Nigeria |
4 |
4 |
Partly Free |
 |
Rwanda |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
São Tomé & Príncipe |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Senegal |
2 |
3 |
Free |
|
Seychelles |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Sierra Leone |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Somalia |
7 |
7 |
Not Free |
|
Somaliland |
4 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
South Africa |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Sudan |
7 |
7 |
Not Free |
|
Swaziland |
7 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Tanzania |
4 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Togo |
5 |
5 |
Partly Free |
|
Uganda |
5 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Zambia |
3 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Zimbabwe |
7 |
6 |
Not Free |
*The ratings in this table reflect global events
from 1 January 2007 through 31 December 2007.
Criteria for designation as an Electoral Democracy
1. A competitive, multiparty
political system.
2. Universal adult suffrage
for all citizens (with exceptions for restrictions that states may legitimately place on citizens as sanctions for criminal
offenses).
3. Regularly contested
elections conducted in conditions of ballot secrecy, reasonable ballot security, and the absence of massive voter fraud that
yields results that are unrepresentative of the public will.
4. Significant public
access of major political parties to the electorate through the media and through generally open political campaigning.
Status and Ratings Changes, Trend Arrow
Explanations
Cameroon received a
downward trend arrow to reflect the consolidation of the Biya regime and significant irregularities in the 2007 elections.
The Central African Republic's Civil Liberties rating declined from 4 to 5 due to the extent to which the deteriorating security
situation significantly inhibited freedom of association and the work of humanitarian agencies, particularly in the conflict-afflicted
areas of the northeast and northwest.
Chad's Political Rights
rating declined from 6 to 7 due to increased corruption relating to a lack of transparency in the management of oil revenues,
amidst increasing violence and instability.
Comoros' Political
Rights rating declined from 3 to 4 as a result of the illegitimate reelection of the president of Anjouan Island.
Congo-Brazzaville received
a downward trend arrow due to the government's refusal to create an independent electoral commission and persistent weaknesses
in the electoral framework that effectively prohibit the Congolese from changing their leaders through the ballot box.
Congo-Kinshasa received
a downward trend arrow for the forced exile of the main opposition leader, which betrayed President Kabila's intolerance for
political opposition.
Côte d'Ivoire's
Civil Liberties rating improved from 6 to 5 due to the signing of the Ouagadougou peace accords, including the peaceful, albeit
delayed, initiation of the identification process and the opening of the border between the north and south.
Guinea-Bissau received
a downward trend arrow to reflect the erosion of the rule of law, political accountability, and media freedom due to the infiltration
of the administration and military by international drug cartels.
Kenya's Political Rights
rating declined from 3 to 4 due to significant irregularities in the December presidential election vote-counting process,
which ultimately benefited incumbent president Kibaki.
Lesotho received a
downward trend arrow due to harassment of the media in the run-up to snap elections and security forces’ suppression
of demonstrations during a post-election government-imposed curfew.
Madagascar received
a downward trend arrow due to the accretion of presidential powers resulting from the consolidation of the Ravolamanana-oriented
economic oligarchy.
Malawi's Civil Liberties
rating declined from 3 to 4 due to government harassment of the judiciary.
Mali's Civil Liberties
rating declined from 2 to 3 due to the government’s efforts to restrict media freedoms and rising levels of political
insecurity and violence associated with the insurgency in the north.
Mauritania's Political
Rights rating improved from 5 to 4 due to the election of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi in March 2007, which was deemed
free and fair by observers. Mauritania was also designated an electoral democracy in this survey.
Mozambique's Civil
Liberties rating improved from a 4 to a 3 due to an opening of the media environment primarily as a result of the successful
prosecution of the murderers of investigative journalist Carlos Cardoso and the subsequent decline in self-censorship on the
part of members of the press.
Niger's Civil Liberties
rating declined from 3 to 4 due to the government's efforts to restrict media coverage of the insurgency in the north, limitations
on open debate, and the general climate of instability and violence associated with the northern insurgency.
Nigeria received a
downward trend arrow due to national elections that international and domestic observers judged to be extremely flawed.
Rwanda received an
upward trend arrow due to reform permitting parties to organize at the local level.
Sierra Leone's Political
Rights rating improved from 4 to 3 due to the relatively peaceful holding of free and fair presidential and parliamentary
elections despite the absence of UN or other international troops, the peaceful transfer of power to the opposition, and the
independent and thorough job done by the National Electoral Commission.
Somalia received a
downward trend arrow as a result of increased restrictions on media freedoms, an upsurge in corruption, and the return of
widespread chaos and violence following the removal of the Islamic Courts Union in early 2007.
Togo's Political Rights rating improved from 6 to 5 and status from Not
Free to Partly Free due to the success of the 2007 legislative elections, including the ability of the country’s opposition
parties to demonstrate and campaign without interference, and the subsequent installation of those elected into office.
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