The year 2011 was very intriguing, to say the least. In South Africa, President Jacob Zuma flexed his political muscles by shuffling his cabinet and firing some poor performing Ministers. In world politics, the Arab Spring Uprisings were very captivating and transformational for the Middle East region. Hosni Mubarak and Muamar Gaddafi are perhaps two of the most high profile casualties of the uprisings.
What will 2012 hold? From my perspective, I will be following the stories below with keen interest:
January 2012
South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC celebrates 100 years in exsistence. The mood at the celebrations will set the tone for what is set to be a busy year for the ruling party.
March 2012
BRICS member and permanent UN Security Council member, Russia will hold Presidential elections. The outcome of the elections is already foregone, with Vladimir Putin set to be President for at least another four-year term.
April 2012
Another permanent UN Security Council member, France will hold Presidential elections.
June 2012
1. The ANC holds its National Policy Conference. The policies defined in this conference will determine the ANC’s 2014 National Election manifesto.
2. London hosts the 30th Summer Olympics
October 2012
China’s ruling party, the Communist Party will hold it’s five-yearly elective conference where new party leadership will be elected. Following the conference, China will have a new Prime Minister and President. While new faces will ascend to power, the Communist Party policies are expected to remain in full force, with little change in the way the country is governed. In this sense, China has arguably the most stable political system in the world.
November 2012
The World’s richest nation and another permanent UN Security Council member, the USA will host Presidential elections. President Barack Obama could be re-elected for a second term or the US electorate could choose a new Republican candidate into the role. The outcome of the US Presidential elections is bound to have the biggest impact on world affairs than any other major event in 2012
December 2012
The ANC will host its five-yearly elective conference in preparation for the 2014 National Elections. As things stand, Jacob Zuma will stand un-opposed for re-election as ANC President. However, like many, I suspect that come December, Jacob Zuma will not be the only candidate bidding to become ANC President.
As the Chinese proverb says, we do live in interesting times and 2012 is sure to be interesting indeed.
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