Tunisia’s 2014 proportional representation with rule of highest remainder formula, imagined as a guard rail against a return to presidential authoritarianism, has proven to be highly problematic. In theory, the equation is simple. The parliament, the country’s supreme power, is directly elected by the people and all winning political formations are represented within the legislative body. The executive branch is bicephalous, shared between a Head of Government and a Head of State. The latter theoretically only holds “residual” prerogatives, mainly related to defense and diplomacy. Yet, the reality of Tunisian politics since 2014 has proven different.

Mali’s coup has been overwhelmingly portrayed in negative terms in the public debate internationally. It has been described exclusively as a ‘putsch’ in French and European media outlets and in public declarations by ECOWAS for instance. The popular support it received has seldom been acknowledged.

With Haftar’s forces on the retreat in the face of the Turkish-backed GNA, his international supporters have expressed alarm. The most prominent being neighboring Egypt, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stating that the geographical boundary of Sirte southward to the town of Jufra was their “red line”. If crossed, it would be the trigger for the intervention of the Egyptian military into the conflict.

War has engulfed Yemen since the failure of the National Dialogue Council (NDC) to form a government in 2015. There have been repeated attempts to bring, if only temporary, peace to the country, yet no agreement has been able to end the conflict, and the Yemeni people are the ones that are paying the ultimate price. Emerging from this conflict is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Socioeconomic inclusion and popular support of the government– PM Abdalla Hamdok’s cabinet has been struggling with a near-bankrupt treasury and underwent a reshuffle following popular demand – will be crucial factors in securing stability and keeping the transition on track in the face of a powerful military’s reluctance to change. If gender is treated as a peripheral matter, and women are not meaningfully included in the political process and given an equal voice, the opportunity for achieving an optimal transition could be missed.