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 |
3 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Congo-Brazzaville |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Congo-Kinshasa |
6 |
6 |
Not Free |
|
Côte d'Ivoire |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Djibouti |
5 |
5 |
Partly Free |
|
Equatorial Guinea |
7 |
7 |
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 |
7 |
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 |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
Mauritius |
1 |
2 |
Free |
|
Mozambique |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Namibia |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Niger |
3 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Nigeria |
5 |
4 |
Partly Free |
|
Rwanda |
6 |
5 |
Not Free |
|
São Tomé & Príncipe |
2 |
2 |
Free |
|
Senegal |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Seychelles |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Sierra Leone |
3 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Somalia |
7 |
7 |
Not Free |
|
Somaliland |
5 |
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 |
3 |
Partly Free |
|
Zimbabwe |
7 |
6 |
Not Free |
*The ratings in this table reflect global events from 1 January 2008 through 31 December 2008.
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
Angola received an upward trend arrow due
to the holding of long-delayed legislative elections that were considered to be credible despite some irregularities.
Burundi received a downward trend arrow due
to the lack of progress on the establishment of an independent electoral commission as well as the authorities’ crackdown
on opposition political activity.
Cameroon received a downward trend arrow
due to the authorities' imposition of additional restrictions on the political opposition and President Paul Biya’s
increasing centralization of power.
The Comoros' political rights rating improved from
4 to 3 due to the restoration of legitimate government to Anjouan, one of the country's constituent islands.
Congo-Kinshasa's political rights rating
declined from 5 to 6 due to President Joseph Kabila's increasing repression of the political opposition, including the excessive
use of violence by authorities against the political-religious group Bundu Dia Kongo.
Cote d’Ivoire's political rights rating
improved from 7 to 6 due to progress in the distribution of identity cards and voter registration, particularly among religious
and ethnic minorities, in advance of the upcoming presidential election.
Equatorial Guinea's civil liberties rating
declined from 6 to 7 due to an intensification of the environment of fear stemming from the widespread use of torture, as
well as the denial of visas to foreign journalists seeking to cover the May legislative and municipal elections.
Gabon received a downward trend arrow due
to the authorities' crackdown on nongovernmental organizations and the harassment of civil society leaders.
The Gambia received a downward trend arrow
due to increased corruption, the government's harsh responses to criticism, and President Yahya Jammeh's threats against homosexuals.
Guinea's political rights rating declined
from 6 to 7 due to a military coup in December and mounting concerns that international drug cartels were gaining influence
within the government and military.
Mauritania's political rights rating declined
from 4 to 6, its civil liberties rating declined from 4 to 5, and its status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to
the military's ouster of the democratically elected president, the arrest of top civilian officials, and the imposition of
restrictions on assembly and the media.
Namibia received a downward trend arrow due
to the ruling party's harassment and intimidation of a new opposition party, including the disruption of the group's meetings
and rallies.
Nigeria's political rights rating declined
from 4 to 5 due to the ruling party's increasing consolidation of power and marginalization of the opposition, as evidenced
by the Supreme Court's rejection in December of opposition challenges to the results of the deeply flawed 2007 presidential
election.
Senegal's political rights rating declined
from 2 to 3 and its status declined from Free to Partly Free due to the growing authoritarian power of the president and ruling
party as well as the increasing marginalization of the opposition, exemplified by the postponement of municipal elections
and the arbitrary reduction of the National Assembly president's term.
Somaliland's political rights rating declined
from 4 to 5 due to the upper legislative house's extension of President Dahir Riyale Kahin's term in office and the subsequent
postponement of the presidential election until 2009.
Zambia's civil liberties rating improved
from 4 to 3 due to continuing improvements in judicial independence, including increased assertiveness by the courts vis-à-vis
the government and the government's appointment of highly qualified individuals to judicial posts.
Zimbabwe received a downward trend arrow
due to the heavy involvement of security forces and government-aligned militias in a campaign of political violence, as well
as the government's crackdown on independent Anglican churches.
