UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's first call for snap general election has been rejected by MPsImage caption: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's first call for snap general election has been rejected by MPs
The UK's withdrawal from the European Union has been likened to the untidy politics in most African countries.
Last week, MPs voted in favour of a bill requiring Prime Minister Boris Johnson to request a Brexit extension on 19 October if no deal is reached by then, which would push the deadline back from a leave date of 31 October to 31 January 2020.
BBC's Focus on Africa radio hosted two commentators, Nanjala Nyabola from Kenya and Rodney Nkurumah Boateng from Ghana, to discuss the saga through African eyes.
Is there interest in Brexit?
Quote Message: Yes... there's a sense of schadenfreude. People are really interested in how Britain is going to navigate this. Are they going to employ the same tactics they have been telling the rest of the world to employ? Are they going to have a commission of inquiry? Are they going to have AU [African Union] observers come in and monitor the next elections? These are all the question we have been grappling with." from Nanjala Nyabola
Yes... there's a sense of schadenfreude. People are really interested in how Britain is going to navigate this. Are they going to employ the same tactics they have been telling the rest of the world to employ? Are they going to have a commission of inquiry? Are they going to have AU [African Union] observers come in and monitor the next elections? These are all the question we have been grappling with."
Nanjala Nyabola
Is the suspension of parliament seen as undemocratic?
Quote Message: What is unusual is the timing of the prorogation - the suspicion was [that it was] to delay a possible vote on Brexit. And that unfortunately is something we are also familiar with in Kenya, where parliamentary sessions are suspended in order to prevent debate on key issues, thorny issues, [on which] there is very strong party divide on." from Nanjala Nyabola
What is unusual is the timing of the prorogation - the suspicion was [that it was] to delay a possible vote on Brexit. And that unfortunately is something we are also familiar with in Kenya, where parliamentary sessions are suspended in order to prevent debate on key issues, thorny issues, [on which] there is very strong party divide on."
Nanjala Nyabola
Is Boris Johnson behaving like an African leader?
Quote Message: As someone said to me, Boris comes across almost as an African leader, I don't know whether that is meant as a compliment or otherwise, but I think you have a clear case - looking at the level of protest - of political skulduggery where Boris seems to be trying to twist the arms of the system to try to get his ideas across. Clearly democracy is not exactly what we see on paper or read in textbooks. Essentially politics is politics and Boris is trying to play politics within the confines of the law, which in a lot of African countries has also happened. I think he [Boris] is behaving in a way like an African president, like a typical executive African president who wants to get his way no matter what."
from Rodney Nkurumah Boateng
As someone said to me, Boris comes across almost as an African leader, I don't know whether that is meant as a compliment or otherwise, but I think you have a clear case - looking at the level of protest - of political skulduggery where Boris seems to be trying to twist the arms of the system to try to get his ideas across. Clearly democracy is not exactly what we see on paper or read in textbooks. Essentially politics is politics and Boris is trying to play politics within the confines of the law, which in a lot of African countries has also happened. I think he [Boris] is behaving in a way like an African president, like a typical executive African president who wants to get his way no matter what."
Rodney Nkurumah Boateng