New African leaders : Walking in their father's steps

As Africa emerges from the era of military dictatorships, coups, rebel warfare and despotic rule to multiparty democracy, there is a new disturbing trend developing in some of the countries in the continent.  Dead dictators are being replaced their sons in what looks like democratic elections.  The problem with these transitions is that these sons are poised to continue their parent’s policies, posing a new problem for Africa’s democrats.  When President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo was shot dead by one of his bodyguards in January, 2001, his son, Joseph Kabila who was then serving in the army was tapped to succeed his father.  The young Kabila soon made peace with Rwanda and his archrivals.  On November, 2006, Joseph Kabila won the general elections of Congo and has been president to this day.  

Togo’s President Gnassingbe Eyadema, one of Africa's longest serving rulers died on February 6, 2005 after ruling Togo for 38 years.  Moments after announcing Eyadema’s death, the Togo military handed power to his son, Faure Gnassingbe who was Communications Minister, contrary to the country’s constitution.  After intense pressure from the African Union, Faure Gnassingbe resigned his post on February 25, after twenty days as president, but went on to win the ensuring elections.  He has been President of Togo since May 4, 2005.  

The trend of dictator’s sons succeeding their fathers has continued in recent months in Gabon.  After forty-two years in office, Gabon’s President Omar Bongo Ondimba died on June 8, 2009.  In the elections that followed, according to official results announced on September 3,  2009, Ali Ben-Bongo, the son of Omar Bongo,  won the elections with a plurality of 41.7% of the vote.  He was declared president.

One may begin to wonder what is wrong with these politicians succeeding their parents.  After all they all won democratically organized elections, and that should suffice.  But the problem with these men is how they got to power, and the record of their fathers.  All three presidents stayed in power so long by choking the opposition.  If their children should take their cues from their fathers, we will see more of these father-son transitions.

Presently, there are two presidential sons in Africa on the radar of succeeding their fathers.  One is Saif al-Islam, son of Libyan Leader Colonel Gaddafi.  He has been instrumental in negotiating the recent release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the convicted Lockerbie bomber who was released from a Scottish prison on humanitarian grounds, a move that drew outrage around the world.   Saif al-Islam is also believed to be the main negotiator between Libya and the west on several issues. 

Another President’s son on the succession radar is Gamal Mubarak, son of Egypt’s 80-year-old president Hosni Mubarak and head of the higher political committee of the country’s National Democratic Party.  He is poised to succeed his father if he were to retire, a prospect that is still dim in the eyes of Egyptians.
To be fair to Africa, there have been similar transfer of power in other parts of the world, but those are mostly monarchies or despotic states.  In the United States, George Bush did become president eight years after his father was defeated by Bill Clinton, while in Argentina, the current president, former First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner replaced her husband, President Nestor Kirchner.

What one has to watch for as more sons replace their father is whether they will continue to walk in their father’s footsteps or turn a new page.  In both Syria and Jordan where sons replaced their fathers in recent years, they have walked in their father’s steps.  Will African leaders do the same?  We have to watch and wait.

 

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