Commentary

IT’s been over 50 years since most African countries gained their independence and many have since endured five decades of conflict, political and economic exclusion, poor governance, and despair.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to avenge the murder of J. Christopher Stevens, America’s former ambassador to Libya. How he proposes to do this is unclear – historical precedent is of little use.

The question may yet come to haunt the politician in the region: If one chooses to abstain from casting a vote because they do not like any particular candidate in the running, could we have a place to mark “None of the above (NOTA)” on the ballot allowing one not to vote for any one of the candidates?