Elections in Africa and its Impact on Development

Democratization has produced a mechanism of election through which decision can be made by people in the state, community etc. The process of election in Africa can be so tense and charged, because most of the political leaders can use the process to come to power to get ill-gotten wealth off the state. It is unfortunate to note that most of the political leaders that participate in election in Africa do not understand the nature of state-building; rather it is about “Personality”. In essence, most of the elections in most parts of Africa are beclouded, with the “culture of Self aggrandizement”. The culture of poverty and the greed of power have stimulated this kind of “Personality attitude.  Many times in African elections, conflict can develop because the process is marked with fraud and those who are mandated to manage the elections fail repeatedly because they are frighten to disappoint their entrenched interests. Only reputable Election Commissions’ Heads who care for state-building can ensure that the process is transparent, credible, free and fair. The Independent National Election (INEC) Chairman of Nigeria Prof. Attahiru Jega, ensures that the general elections held recently in Nigeria were transparent, even though there were some pockets of minute irregularities. When elections are transparent, it strongly helps the developmental process of the state.

The process of electioneering in Africa seems to be a difficult culture because Africans are accustomed to the traditional ways of selecting their leaders. The elder who has rich cultural heritage will always be given the mantle of authority. Since the introduction of this democratic process of choosing leaders, there have always been problems. For the incumbent leaders on the continent, every strategic frame work must be adopted to ensure a “must win scenario” in spite of their poor governance performance. Laurent Gbargbo of Ivory Coast could not accept the election results because he had conceptualized that he must win. Sometimes based on the poor performance of the incumbent, the chances for the opposition to win can be high, but the failure to manage this opportunity has become a great challenge. Opposition failure to accept the results of the election which were internationally acclaimed to be transparent can also create problem for development. Election has become complex for African politicians and has continued to pose the problem for development.

Today, in Kenya, there is an inclusive government and some are undergoing investigation as well as trial in The Hague, based on post-election violence. According to BBC news, in 2008, approximately 600 persons were reportedly killed in the post-election violence in Kenya, following disputes over the results of the December 2007 presidential elections. The country is gradually evolving from the election nightmare after a government of national unity was negotiated which saw power being shared between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. In another development, the opposition leader in Uganda, Dr. Kizza Besigye claimed that President Musovini used intimidation to win the 2011 election. Dr. Kizza Besigye was beaten and hospitalized because of his stance of the election result in which he commented that it was marked with fraud. In Liberia, there was violent demonstration after the 2005 Presidential elections. The scenario was not different South Africa where Thiabo Mbeki and his Defense Minister, Mosiuoa Lekota resigned from the African National Congress (ANC) to organize a new political front-the Congress of the People (COPE), after Thiabo was defeated in the ANC convention in 2008.

The high quest for Mbeki to win could not be realized thus leading to the fragmentation of the ANC.  In 1992, following disputes over the election results in Angola, the National Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA) returned to war, which lasted almost a decade.

Unfortunately, the time for election is considered by most African politicians as the time for wielding and dealing wherein they can benefit from the process. It was reported in some major dailies in Liberia that the Congress of Democratic Change’s (CDC) political leader, George Weah, took some money from the Liberty Party Executives for the purpose of alliance. The deal was not successful and Weah benefitted from the deal. It is always good for the political parties to take election as the conduit of building a more democratic state than using the process to breakdown the reason for which it is intended. Wielding and dealing can corrupt the democratic process.

Notably, some political parties cry foul when they have not developed any logical ways of winning the elections. Sometimes, opposition parties used this tactics to negotiate with regional or international organizations to be included in the government. For elections to be transparent in Africa, the incumbent should stay out of any process that would influence umpire body- the election commission. On their part, the electoral commissions should develop the managerial capacity void of outside influence to ensure a prudent management of the elections. Africans politicians must get use to participating in election that is devoid of violence. Every politician must understand that losing elections serves as one of the mature ways of developing statehood. The Judiciary must be respected and they must look beyond party lines to protect the stability of the state. The traditional African practice of selecting leaders has become past reality, therefore every democratic electoral procedure must be professionally respected. It is my hope that the Liberian Politicians and the Election Commissioners will ensure that the 2011 elections will be void of conflict. When Africans developed a respectable practice for election, it will help the continent to develop its socio-economic fabrics. The time is now!!

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