Daily News Brief

May 29, 2024

Top of the Agenda

South Africans are voting in general elections today that polls suggest (CNN) could deliver the lowest support to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party since Nelson Mandela led it to power after the end of apartheid. The ANC is expected to secure the largest share of the vote, but if it wins less than half, it will be forced to govern in a coalition. A preliminary report from the country’s election agency said that voting was generally occurring smoothly and turnout was on track to potentially surpass 66 percent. 

Support for the ANC has waned (NYT) among voters over the years amid concerns about corruption and crime. Young South Africans in particular have registered (NYT) to vote in low numbers. The highest-polling opposition party is the center-right Democratic Alliance, followed by the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. A new party led by former ANC President Jacob Zuma has also shaken up the race. 

Analysis

“A new generation of voters do not have the lived experience of apartheid nor the emotional connection that their parents and grandparents had to the party. The ANC as a governing party is all young people know, and they blame it for their joblessness, rampant crime and an economy blighted by electricity blackouts,” the New York Times’s Lynsey Chutel writes.

“The health of South African democracy is also at stake. While the country boasts an impressive civil society, free press, and independent judiciary, political violence remains stubbornly persistent. These elections will almost certainly be free and fair—South Africa boasts highly credible electoral institutions—but Afrobarometer polling shows that 70 percent of South Africans are dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their country,” CFR Senior Fellow Michelle Gavin writes in this Expert Brief.

Europe

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili had sided (RFE/RL) with protestors and opposition lawmakers against the bill, which is similar to a Russian law that has been used to crack down on dissent. The legislature’s latest move gives Zourabichvili five days to sign the bill into law; parliament can do so if she refuses.

Sweden/Ukraine: Sweden will provide (Bloomberg) two surveillance planes to Ukraine as part of a military aid package worth some $1.3 billion, Sweden’s defense minister said today. The planes are expected to be deployed alongside F-16 fighter jets provided by other European countries.

Pacific Rim

Police accused (CNN) the detainees of publishing seditious posts on social media ahead of “an approaching sensitive date”; among them was Chow Hang-tung, an organizer of past vigils to mark the anniversary of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. These are the first known arrests under a national security law that was rushed through the opposition-free legislature in March and added new possible crimes to a previous security law that China imposed on Hong Kong in 2020.

This Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland and CFR’s Clara Fong looks at how China is cracking down on Hong Kong.

Japan: Carmakers Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota will continue investing (FT) in fuel-based engine technology, the three company heads said in a rare joint appearance yesterday. Sales of fully electric cars in Japan have slowed amid concerns about cost and a shortage of charging networks.

South and Central Asia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian media (TOLOnews) on Monday that the Taliban “hold real power” in Afghanistan and that Moscow is planning to remove them from its list of terrorist organizations. A spokesperson for the Taliban said delegations have attended various meetings and forums inside Russia. 

India: A weather station in the capital, New Delhi, recorded (NDTV) its hottest-ever temperature today at 52.3℃ (126℉); it also reported an all-time high in power demand. Election experts voiced concerns (NBC) that the extreme heat could be depressing voter turnout in India’s ongoing general elections, which end on Saturday.

Middle East and North Africa

Part of the U.S.-built pier broke off (Times of Israel) as a result of bad weather, and rebuilding and repairing it will take at least a week, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sabrina Singh said yesterday. More than one thousand metric tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to the Gaza Strip via the pier.

Syria/Saudi Arabia: Passenger flights between the two countries resumed (Al-Monitor) yesterday for the first time since 2012 as part of a thaw in bilateral relations. While Syria and its Arab neighbors are putting the divisions of Syria’s civil war behind them, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at an aid conference earlier this week that Syria’s humanitarian needs are at an all-time high (AFP).

Sub-Saharan Africa

Internal disputes over jobs had held up (Reuters) the announcement of a new government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even after President Félix Tshisekedi won a second presidential term last December and his party achieved a wide majority in the legislature. The new cabinet includes fifty-four ministers, down from a previous fifty-seven. The announcement comes (Anadolu) after the government said it foiled a coup attempt last week.

Americas

The council selected (NYT) longtime international aid official Garry Conille as prime minister yesterday, tasking him with liaising with a multinational security mission and leading the country toward new presidential elections. Conille served briefly as Haiti’s prime minister more than a decade ago and has worked over the past twenty-five years for aid agencies including the United Nations. 

Cuba/U.S.: Washington lifted (AP) some financial restrictions on Cuba yesterday to allow independent businesses to open and access U.S. bank accounts online and make certain financial transactions. The measure is designed to support private entrepreneurs and promote internet freedom in Cuba, the U.S. Treasury Department said. 

This Backgrounder unpacks U.S.-Cuba relations.

United States

Deborah Lipstadt and other government officials met (Bloomberg) last week with representatives from Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, and X, and requested that they each designate a team member to address antisemitic content, train personnel, and publicly report trends. Companies have “made an effort” to remove antisemitic material and Meta has already designated a policy head for the matter, she said.

At this CFR meeting in January, Lipstadt discussed the U.S. response to global antisemitism.

Council on Foreign Relations

58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065

1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006

Shop the CFR Store

Manage Your Email Preferences