From 1960 to 1990 Africa’s political landscape was characterized by ‘one-party democrats’ until the end of the Cold War when democracy in Africa came to mean the right to vote for the President in multiparty elections. The history of democratization in Africa has demonstrated that competitive elections are an important element in any democracy as they have ushered in change, rebirth or renewal. But while elections are a bedrock event of any democracy, they are also a process of political organization open to manipulation. The most rigorous standards of democratic practice hold that citizens should be informed, uncoerced, and effective in casting their votes. This is not the reality in Africa!
Elections in Africa are fraught with fragility. One is prompted to think that the political sphere in Africa was not fertile ground yet when multiparty democracy was introduced. The political rulers at that time had no option since it was a condition for development support and the political debates following the end of the Cold War forced them to introduce multiparty politics. While elections are generally looked at as positive events, in many African states they have precipitated moments of crisis which have exacerbated ethnic conflict, political breakdown and related social disequilibrium.
The electoral system and the entire voting process have a big impact not just in terms of inclusion and exclusion but also on the entire tone of the political system. Exclusion takes many forms, for example, in the just concluded presidential elections in Kenya, there are Kenyans who were forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries due to fear of post-elections violence, thus not exercising their right to vote. A poorly structured and managed electoral system creates an enabling environment for fear mongering, corruption and vote rigging to thrive and unfortunately, this is the reality in a number of African countries. Therefore, creating appropriate electoral systems remains a key factor for improving the democratization process on the continent and curbing electoral violence.
While the international community and scholars hold elections in high regard, treating them as sort of a holy grail when it comes to democratic transitions in post-conflict states, the reality has been different in cases where elections have been flawed and ethnic in nature. The result has been an increase in political violence and legitimizing despotic government through a stolen vote. As such, elections have not solved the problem of bad governance on the continent, in fact, in certain cases they account for the worsening state of governance where the performance of elected governments has been worse than their predecessors.
The political sphere before, during and after elections is always tense and uncertain in many African countries, and elections have a tendency of leaving nations more divided along ethnic lines. The sad reality in Africa’s democratic process has been worsened by the tendency of governments to switch off the internet either partially or completely. Using Uganda’s example, the East African state has set a bad precedent by tampering with the internet each time general election are organized. It is estimated that the five-day internet shutdown during the 2021 general elections cost the Ugandan economy $9 billion. Internet shutdowns translate into denying people their source of livelihood and if this practice becomes a norm during elections, many people are going to dread elections period and wish they can be done away.
In conclusion, while electoral democracy is here to stay, electoral violence in Africa, including its changing form and character, cannot not be divorced from the neo-patrimonial character of the African state, the nature of contestation for power, military involvement in the the democratisation process, and the weak institutionalisation of democratic architectures, including the economic foundations of the democratisation process, political parties and electoral management bodies. As long as the masses remain impoverished and the political elite use money and power to buy, manipulate and threaten voters, and as long as political parties lack strong institutions and continue to be established on strong personalities, a factor which results into serving the interests of those “strong men” instead of addressing the needs of the people. Multiparty democracy will remain a sham and elections in Africa will continue to be contentious and a source of violent conflict and disunity within states. Last but not least, the roles played by well-functioning and independent electoral management bodies, judiciary and media cannot be overemphasised.
By Patricia Namakula
