Outsider Wins in Nigeria’s Economic Powerhouse as Presidential Election Results Trickle In

Third-party candidate Peter Obi has won the state of Lagos (FT), home to one of his two main rivals, as election authorities slowly begin to release results from Saturday’s presidential vote. Polls before the election showed that Obi threatened to unseat (NYT) the two parties that have ruled Nigeria for the past two decades. Violence and delays were reported at some polling places, and Nigeria’s election authority acknowledged that vote tallying has been slow and unsteady. Final results may not be announced for several days.

A survey before the election found that 89 percent of Nigerians believe the country is going in the wrong direction, with corruption, economic mismanagement, and insecurity being areas of concern. Obi has drawn support from young, urban voters disillusioned with establishment politicians, though his popularity is weaker (Reuters) in rural areas with less-educated voters.

Analysis

“We’re seeing a real-time realignment of Nigerian politics in this election. Peter Obi’s emergence as a credible third-party candidate is a reason for this,” the Financial Times’ Aanu Adeoye tweets.

“Whether or not violence occurs in the aftermath of the announcement of results will depend on the perception of the poll’s overall fairness and integrity,” CFR’s Ebenezer Obadare writes for the Africa in Transition blog.

CFR’s Michelle Gavin unpacks the continental implications of Nigeria’s election.

Pacific Rim

Report: China’s 2022 Expansion of Coal-Fired Power Was Its Largest in Seven Years

China authorized (WaPo) 106 gigawatts of coal-fired power last year, six times the total coal capacity added in the rest of the world, according to a joint report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air and the Global Energy Monitor.

North Korea: Leader Kim Jong-un convened a rare party meeting (Yonhap) to discuss agricultural issues amid reports of food shortages.

South and Central Asia

G20 Meeting in India Fails to Produce Joint Communiqué on Ukraine War

At Saturday’s meeting of Group of Twenty (G20) finance ministers in Bengaluru, China and Russia refused to sign on (Times of India) to language that “strongly condemned” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that demanded Russian troops withdraw from the country.

This Backgrounder explains why the war in Ukraine is a geopolitical flash point.

Nepal: The largest party in Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s ruling coalition pulled out of the alliance (AP). Per Nepal’s constitution, Dahal must now seek a vote of confidence to remain in power.

Middle East and North Africa

Arab Lawmakers Visit Syria’s Assad in Damascus

A delegation of senior officials from eight countries in the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad (Reuters) in a show of solidarity following Syria’s recent earthquake and an indication of warming ties. Many Arab countries pulled their envoys from Damascus after the Assad government’s violent suppression of protests in 2011.

Israel/Palestinian territories: Israel sent hundreds of troops (AP) to the West Bank after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis and Israeli settlers subsequently torched homes and vehicles in a Palestinian town. Health officials said a Palestinian man was killed in the rampage.

Sub-Saharan Africa

UN Suspends Humanitarian Flights in Two Congo Provinces After Attack

The World Food Program said the flights in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu and Ituri Provinces were suspended (Reuters) after unidentified assailants attacked a UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter on Friday.

Europe

Fifty-Nine Killed After Migrant Boat Sinks Near Italy

A police official told the Washington Post that the boat’s passengers hailed from countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Syria. The death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue. Around eighty survivors managed to reach the shore.

United Kingdom/Brussels: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with (The Guardian) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today in an effort to close a deal on outstanding Brexit issues related to customs checks on the Northern Irish border.

Americas

Mexicans Stage Nationwide Protests Against Cuts to Election Agency

Over one hundred thousand people in more than one hundred cities staged demonstrations (NYT) against a newly passed law to cut the elections agency’s budget. It is expected to be challenged in Mexico’s Supreme Court.

U.S./Brazil: U.S. climate change envoy John Kerry arrived in Brazil (MercoPress) yesterday for climate talks with top Brazilian government officials. Discussion will focus on deforestation and the transition to clean energy, among other issues.

This Backgrounder looks at what’s being done to stop deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest.

United States

Energy Department Report Supports COVID-19 Lab-Leak Theory

The classified report concludes with “low confidence” that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from an unintentional leak from a Chinese lab, the Wall Street Journal reported. The FBI shared this assessment, while four other agencies disagreed and two were undecided.

This Backgrounder lays out the controversy surrounding COVID-19’s mysterious origins.

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