Russia is one of many non-democracies that holds regular national and subnational elections despite the lack of any pretence of democratic contestation. That the upcoming presidential election is expected to be even more humdrum and foreordained than usual has led to a demonstrable lack of interest by the broader world. But despite its stage-managed character and certain outcome, it would be a serious mistake for the rest of the world to ignore it.

In the space of just a few months, Senegal has gone from being one of the most stable and predictable democracies in Africa to being a confusing political context filled with uncertainty. To properly understand the changed electoral calendar and its larger substantive ramifications, it is necessary to consider for a moment the events that have taken place in Senegal in the last half of Macky Sall’s second term.

For all that people found themselves puzzled (or amused) by recondite rituals during the coronation of King Charles III, the process of choosing a President of the United States may actually be more difficult to understand.