Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

Election rigging is still common in Africa. The legal rules of the game are mostly skewed in favor of the incumbent. So sitting governments are not jumping to change them, because it enhances their chances at the next elections. A lack of nationhood means ‘national interest’ remains an abstraction best talked about and then buried. For politicians the risk is this: Being out of office equals being out of income.

Awareness

Despite formidable challenges, the conference participants noted that, slowly, things might be changing for the better. An awareness appears to be emerging amongst incumbents that they might not be in office for ever. With Africa connecting up to the global economy more and more, voters are becoming aware of their democratic rights.

The trick to free and fair elections in Africa might reside in mounting so much pressure that voters clamor for change from their government. Civil society, political parties, the media all play their part.

Independent institutions

Many institutions and people are involved in the electoral process, so identifying manipulation loop holes can get technical. A truly independent election body was cited as pivotal in the process: Many African presidents still appoint cronies to these institutions without infringing any law. Besides political pressure, election bodies are also vulnerable to tinkering with their funding by government.

The media play different roles in elections. Besides informing electorates, they also enflame the debate with hate speech, like in Kenya. State controlled media are particularly vulnerable to political interference. But private media houses are equally subject to bias when big money or big people enter the equation.

Security forces

Inclusion of police and military officials in the conference appeared to be unique. Security forces intimidate voters, or worse, in the harder African cases like Zimbabwe. Ensuring their impartiality is not easy. It symbolizes the challenge of a conference like this: How do you bridge the world of talking with the world of doing? Implementation of best practices will require leadership, political courage and pressure from a range of societal groups.

Still the participants remain optimistic. ‘We don’t need to fight. We should be civil’ tells Chris Opoka, a seasoned Ugandan politician from the opposition. His camaraderie with the Ugandan government representative is remarkable, given the diminishing democratic space in his country. One wonders whether Uganda will be the next Kenya, where election violence killed over 1000 citizens.

Constant care

Alhaji Rahmadan, Chairman of a small Ghanaian opposition party mentions that the conference puts a ‘bigger burden on Ghanaians [..], we have still to improve. We have no business going back’. Perhaps that is the true lesson of this conference: That fledgling democracies, including Ghana, need constant care to avoid slipping back. The institutions are still weak. Complacency leads to bloodshed.