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Elections in the Sub-Saharan Africa: General Trends, Challenges and Opportunities Maendeleo Policy F Orum

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Elections in the Sub-Saharan Africa: General Trends, Challenges and Opportunities Maendeleo Policy F Orum Elections in the Sub-Saharan Africa: General Trends, Challenges and Opportunities Edition h t 5 Maendeleo Policy Forum Policy Forum Maendeleo Photo credit: UNDP Nigeria Report of the Maendeleo Policy Forum held on 18 August 2016 Ridge Arena, Swiss Spirit Hotel & Suites Alisa, Accra, Ghana Disclaimer Views expressed in this report represents the opinions of panellists and participants. 1 Table of Contents I. Background .............................................................................................................................. 3 II. Opening Remarks ...................................................................................................................... 5 III. Key discussion points ............................................................................................................ 6 IV. Reflections from the Panellists: ............................................................................................... 6 V. Summary of Recommendations.............................................................................................. 13 i. Electoral Commission ......................................................................................................... 13 ii. Political Parties .................................................................................................................... 14 iii. Government .................................................................................................................... 14 iv. Election Observers .......................................................................................................... 14 v. Civil Society Organisations .................................................................................................. 14 Annexes ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Annex 1: Bio of Panellists .............................................................................................................. 15 Annex 2: Presentation by Dr Brigalia Bam ................................................................................. 18 Annex 3: Maendeleo Policy Forum concept note .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Annex 4: Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 32 Annex 5: Participants List .......................................................................................................... 34 Political Parties ....................................................................................................................... 34 UN Systems ........................................................................................................................... 35 Private Sector ........................................................................................................................ 36 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other National Groups/Organizations/Commissions ............................................................................................................................................... 37 Academia ............................................................................................................................... 37 Panellists and High Level Personalities ................................................................................... 38 Embassies/High Commissions .............................................................................................. 38 Development Partners ........................................................................................................... 39 Media ..................................................................................................................................... 39 2 Background Africa has made great strides in recent years towards building democracy, enhancing the rule of law, consolidating good governance, improving human security and promoting and protecting human rights. Since the early 1990s, majority of African countries have undergone momentous transitions from one-party, military or autocratic rule to multiparty democratic systems based on majority rule and popular participation. At the very heart of these democratic transitions has been the holding of periodic, multiparty elections. The holding of multiparty elections in Africa, like elsewhere in the world, have become a powerful tool for democratic stability, accountability and ultimately, human development. A significant number of elections have succeeded in placing numerous countries on a firm path of recovery and peaceful transition following years of civil conflict. These include elections in Namibia which led to independence in 1989 and elections in South Africa which ended apartheid and ushered in majority rule in 1994. Others include elections in Mozambique in 1994, Sierra Leone in 2002, Liberia in 2005 and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2006, all of which marked an end to decades of civil conflict. Over the past two decades and more, countries such as Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mauritius, Senegal, and Zambia have had successive elections leading to peaceful transfers of power. On the other hand, Africa has also seen elections in a host of other countries that have stalled democracy and precipitated political instability: for example, Côte d’Ivoire in 2000, Kenya in 2007, Zimbabwe in 2008 as well as Guinea Bissau and Mali in 2012. Holding transparent and credible elections on a regular basis as established by the relevant constitutional and legal framework is a critical component of the democratization process. In fact, periodic and genuine elections are generally seen as a key component for enhancing the legitimacy of a government and strengthening the social contract between the government and the governed. However, while critical to building democracies, elections are only one component of the democratic and legitimization process. Again, in the absence of other structural, institutional, and normative democratic conditions to absorb and resolve tensions that might arise during and after the electoral process, elections can present windows of vulnerability that introduce real risk of violence. A robust civil society, independent media, a sound public administration, and an 3 independent judiciary can help to manage the underlying tensions and grievances that elections bring to the surface. While multiparty and competitive elections may have become a regular feature of political systems in majority of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is also true that these elections have differed greatly in form, content and quality, and the greater regularity has not necessarily enhanced their value or improved the quality of democracy on the continent. Africa’s experience with electoral democracy has been mixed: progress has been made, but challenges remain. Some of the challenges often highlighted include political intolerance, lack of inclusiveness, inadequacies of electoral management bodies and post-electoral violence. In the last years, crucial electoral processes took place or are taking place in a substantial number of countries across Africa. In 2015, elections brought about the first peaceful transfer of power to Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, but also led to mass civil unrest and instability in Burundi. Other countries which held elections in 2015 include Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Lesotho, Mauritius, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia. The first semester of 2016 has seen already crucial elections in Benin, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic (CAR), Comoros, Chad and Niger, as well as the constitutional referendum in Senegal. Some of the upcoming elections which will determine the fate of democracy in countries where they occur include, among others, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Ghana. It is on the basis of the mixed results of electoral democracy in the continent that the Maendeleo Policy Forum1 adopted the topic for the 5th edition to be “Elections in the Sub-Saharan Africa: General I. 1 Maendeleo Policy Forum The Maendeleo Policy Forum was launched in 2015. Convened by the UNDP Regional Service for Africa, the Maendeleo Policy Forum is one of the organization’s contributions to the search for workable solutions to new and persistent problems of developmental transformation and effectiveness in Africa. It is created to provide space for African leaders, international mediators and negotiators, researchers, policy makers, development practitioners and writers on African issues, to debate on critical issues of development in Africa1. 4 Trends, Challenges and Opportunities”. The Speakers selected for the forum undertook a critical and thorough analysis of the core elements of recent electoral trends and latest political developments on the African continent. The speakers also established some links between the trends and the key institutional platform and structures upon which credible and transparent elections are built. Reference was also made to global trends and best practices. Opening Remarks In his welcome remarks, the UNDP Associate Administrator, Dr Tegegnework Gettu expressed the need for Africans to sustain democracy through election as a powerful tool for transparency, democratic stability and peace. Dr. Gettu indicated that even though elections have been recognised as part of the democratic process, there are challenges of intolerance,
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