Nigerian citizens look for their names before they register to vote in Lagos. (Credit: Sunday Alamba for AP/PA)
The problem
Nearly 80% of voters from 36 African countries believe voters are bribed – either sometimes, often or always. In Morocco and Nigeria alone, only 5% and 6% of citizens believe bribing for votes never happens. This is a particularly chronic problem in Nigeria, where in 2007 seven out of ten voters believed that vote buying happens either ‘all of the time’ or ‘most of the time’; nearly a decade later, nine out of ten believe so. Furthermore, 16% of voters in African countries reported being offered money or goods in exchange for their vote during the last election.
