Early in the morning on August 16, the Electoral Commission of Zambia announced that long-time opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) had won the 2021 presidential elections with 59.4 percent of the vote.

In Algeria and across the world, social media’s role in disseminating information of public concern has been growing. However, with the rapid diffusion of fact-based information comes the spread of disinformation. This has been especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic as people have been searching for information on the virus through traditional and online media platforms. While some Algerians have started to receive vaccines to achieve immunity against the coronavirus, disinformation remains without an antidote.

Unemployment, lack of services, and a healthcare system at the brink of collapse are just some of the issues that Iraq is facing. With an unresponsive government being a catalyst for increased frustration among citizens, Members of Parliament (MPs) across Iraq’s provinces play a critical role in shifting public perception and demonstrating to their constituencies their ability to respond to citizen’s needs.

Just weeks before the August general elections in Zambia, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) released a series of revised accreditation requirements for citizen election observers that significantly hampered their ability to accredit observers across the country. Among the new regulations, citizen groups were required to provide evidence of at least three years of governance experience and each individual observer had to complete a certified application form in triplicate as well as submit certified copies of each observer’s national ID card.

In Malawi, a growing cohort of young people are entering into careers and politics and looking to reshape the future of governance and development. With over 50% of the population under 18 years old, the number of young people joining new initiatives and seeking to make a difference will continue to increase. Yet, there are limited options for young people, even once they are able to join civil society, to be recognized by older generations for their ability to provide meaningful input and given opportunities to develop new skills of engagement.