South Africa faces a defining election
Thirty years after the end of white rule, democracy itself is struggling
By John McDermott
Some of the happiest queuing ever took place in South Africa on April 27th 1994. On that day millions lined up to elect Nelson Mandela in the country’s first general election under multiracial democracy. Some 86% of eligible voters turned out.
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This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “From apartheid to apathy”
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