Presidential elections in Djibouti and Benin at the weekend highlighted how costly electoral systems are reshaping democracy across Africa. Candidates in both countries faced steep nomination fees: about £20,000 in Djibouti and £328,000 in Benin. These fees have drawn widespread protest, with critics arguing they serve as a mechanism of exclusion rather than a simple legal requirement.
Former Djibouti presidential adviser Alexis Mohamed, who resigned citing democratic regression, was unable to stand against his former boss Ismail Omar Guelleh. Mohamed said he could not return home to file nomination papers or campaign freely without security guarantees. He described the high fees as an additional barrier in a political environment he called ceremonial, where Guelleh has ruled since 1999 and consistently wins with over 97% of the vote.
The pattern is increasingly visible across the continent. In Zimbabwe, the nomination fee rose to £15,000 for the last elections, a 1,900% increase. Opposition leader Linda Tsungirirai Masarira said she could not participate due to exorbitant fees, warning they narrow the political field, making it harder for women and young people to participate, and consolidate power among already resourced actors.
Motlapele Raleru, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Electoral Awareness in Botswana, said rising fees do more harm than good, reducing candidacy to a commercial transaction rather than a civic right. She warned that high fees become a systematic wealth test that puts democracy at stake.
In Malawi, the presidential nomination fee rose from about £800 to £4,200 for the September 2025 election, yet the ballot expanded from seven to 17 candidates. Political scientist Nandini Patel raised concerns that powerful actors might finance proxies to split votes, meaning high fees may not produce a more credible race and could inspire corruption.
