By 2003 in the continent of Africa there was sudden
wave of election process that was being held by the whole continent as 44
states in the continent have proceeded to hold elections, marking the end of authoritarian
regimes in certain states but also brings to a legitimatization to few, it was
marked as a success to the western world efforts in its efforts of introducing democracy
ideas to the populace of Africa but in certain capacity, Even though most of
the 44 countries that have held at least one election are not full democracies,
many of them have in recent years been governed by civilian regimes, which in
itself represents an important turning point in the political history of Africa
Certain
states have been on the 4th cycle of elections while others their 1st
ever elections process, the anticipation of the people of being given the
rights to choose a representative of their own and a government of their own is
a alien concept to them as they have only known of authoritarian regimes
and 1 party system their whole life, however the excitement of finally able to
exercise and express their rights as a citizen was overwhelming,
In a
civil society there are three democratic qualities that is the key of African
populace acceptation of democracy, the
first is PARTICIPATION, most African countries have been under authoritarian
regimes whereby the concept of freedom of speech, public debate & the
rights to form and join civil organization is not known without repercussion
from the government and is largely discouraged with caution, the rights to
openly assemble to voice concerns publicly is handled by brute force in order
to avoid dissent for the government, thus the greater the prevalence of these
liberties, the greater the democratic quality of participation in society.
Second,
COMPETITION, personal autonomy and economic rights is a rare concept to the
populace of Africa as the obscurity of proper employments discouraging the
believes of self preservation & dignity, for economics rights is usually
owned by the ruling elites and their cronies thus limiting the opportunities of
self enrichment, Third, the LEGITIMACY of a democratic government is indicated
by such factors as the peaceful coexistence of various social organizations,
genuinely free public discourse, and its ability to control violence and
provide physical security to peaceful citizens is something that is craved by
the populace as a whole in particular.
A
common misconception among democracy supporters are that opposition groups and
parties are always pro-democratic. The dubious character of this assumption is
illustrated by the behavior of many African opposition parties, whereby the
opposition parties will normally refusing to accept the election result,
usually insisting an accusing on abuse
of power by the incumbent and election fraud ,on this particular accusation is
particularly a known issue due to irregularities issue by the election
committees that is usually elected, tasked, employed & paid by the
incumbent, ruling parties or governments thus will not ensure a fully free and
fraud free elections ,
This
shows that democratization by elections may often be a lengthy process, and
that many of Africa’s hybrid regimes may in fact be on a slow but steady track
to democracy with certain liberties such as freedom of speech and economic
opportunities & participation in public programs is being allowed and
endorsed by the elected governments or ruling elites, While it may be too early
to pass definitive judgments on more long-term social processes such as these,
it appears that democratic frameworks for political competition and
participation lead to greater levels of acceptance and peaceful transition for
broader opportunities and freedom.
All
human beings are born equal, with equal rights to participate in government.
Elections, despite the flaws in the system that is being used as a tool by
certain parties to stay in power , it is still the best available mechanism for
expressing the right of self-government into the effective governance of a
modern and free state .Even countries that at first glance may not seem to
possess the necessary preconditions for democratic rule may still benefit from
participatory, competitive, and legitimate elections. Such increases in freedoms
and rights not only are of fundamental value in themselves, but also serve to
propel the forces of democratization,
Such
elections provide more than just an arena for political contest, it would
sometimes give rise to new, independent institutions and often force political
actors to adapt at least partly to voter preferences ,But in order for us to
conclude that elections do indeed cause improvements in civil liberties, this
pattern must apply to a large number of countries as we look at their electoral
histories. Any transition, even a faltering one, offers hope for
democratization and is better than no transition at all.
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