Menas Associates Blog
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Algeria: Calls for ‘separatism’ and ‘autonomy’ are extremely dangerous signals
Deadly forest fires — especially in the eastern Khenchela region — and the growing water shortage crisis are fuelling a growing sense of anger which is becoming increasingly prevalent throughout most of Algeria. There is immense anger amongst the predominantly...
Defections threaten PDP’s survival ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 election
A gale of defections has hit Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which threatens to weaken the party in the run-up to the 2023 general elections. The latest defection is that of Zamfara State’s Governor Bello Matawalle but the PDP has decided to...
Audit of the Central Bank of Libya is completed
On 8 July the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) — split since 2014 between the main branch in Tripoli and the breakaway eastern branch — took delivery of a long-awaited audit in what is hoped will be a key step towards reunifying the organisation. Last year, Deloitte...
Istiqlal’s internal war threatens its electoral prospects
As Morocco's elections draw ever closer and with the country’s political parties busy campaigning, the Istiqlal party is undergoing a major internal crisis which was triggered by a spat that has broken out in its upper echelons over who should represent Istiqlal in...
What does Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, stand for?
Ebrahim Raisi was relatively unknown until 2017, when he ran as the main opponent to Hassan Rohani in the presidential election. He lost but was consequently appointed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to head the judiciary. Many understood that decision as a sign that the...
Why Algeria’s discredited election was important, for the regime
Algeria’s electoral authorities have more or less confirmed that, like previous ones, the 12 June election was rigged, as they argued over a credible voter participation rate, which was progressively reduced from: 30.2% to 25.07%, to 23.03%, and to 19.01% if spoiled...
Some of the obstacles facing the Berlin II conference on Libya
Despite the efforts of the international community, the Berlin II conference on Libya on 23 June faces major obstacles that will be extremely difficult to resolve. Last week the House of Representatives (House) met in Tobruk to continue its discussions about the...
An APC attempt to flip Delta State?
President Buhari has controversially nominated Lauretta Onochie — the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media and an All Progressives Congress (APC) loyalist — as an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioner. If confirmed, however, the...
New Israeli government puts an end to 12 years of Netanyahu’s rule
Monfort Advisory brief, June 2021 Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12 consecutive years of power came to an end on 13 June when a new government was sworn in. The so-called ‘change’ bloc — led by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennet — managed to form an opposition coalition and oust...
France is preparing a Malian base for the Algerian army
Algeria Politics & Security - 11.05.21 reported that plans for the deployment of Algerian forces to Mali were well under way. Menas Associates has now received photographic evidence and confirmation from a reliable source that France is preparing an army base at...