Electoral conflicts in africa pdf

Since the arab spring in 2011, several north african. Trends in electoral violence in subsaharan africa united states. This inference seems selfevident to many, given that. It can also be said to be an incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled. Before tackling conflicts in africa one should first consider conflict in general. Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah.

The objective of this paper was to examine various electoral malpractices and problems in africa, looking critically at suffrage, franchise and elections and the attendant problems as well as the malpractices associated with it. Conflict transformation this is the process by which conflicts, such as ethnic conflict, are transformed into peaceful outcomes. Electoral violence this is the use of threats or physical act carried out by an individual against another for political reasons. Through statistical models, the authors find that, during civil wars, elections are associated with four times more unrest than in nonelection periodsa very. African countries share similarities but are also different. Eight macrocomparative perspectives on conflict trends in africa are charted in order to establish a fairly comprehensive picture and understanding of the background of the situation in the region in mid2005. Experiences in electoral management in africa are mixed. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project topics. The recent 2016 post election crisis in gabon12 that left scores dead seems to shows that electoral violence is an intractable phenomenon on the continent. This report is part of usips broader commitment to peace in the horn of africa and thematic focus on preventing electoral violence. Electoral violence is a subtype of political violence, but distinguished by its timing close to elections and its goals to impact elections, either by changing outcomes or to disrupt the elections themselves. Electoral violence in subsaharan africa lynne rienner publishers.

Using round 4 afrobaromter survey data from 20 african countries in. Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah gabriel sous dir. Interpretations of democracy that drive policy by states and the international. Introduction electoral processes are of utmost importance in a democracy. The united states institute of peace usip and its partners, the constitutional reform. Without appropriate institutional checks multiparty democracy can rekindle violent conflicts. Most elections in africa are taking place in very undemocratic spaces. While africa has had its share of interstate wars, the majority of its conflicts were internal, and these internal conflicts appear to be increasing, as. Denis kadima, executive director of the electoral institute for sustainable democracy in africa eisa and mrs. An empirical examination of existing theories gregory wallsworth october 28, 2015 abstract recent studies of election violence in africa found violence mars as many as 80 percent of african elections. From mandela to zuma katabaro miti university of pretoria, south africa abstract this article looks at how the three presidential leaders of south africa nelson mandela, thabo mbeki and jacob zuma, have dealt with various conflict situations on the african continent.

This timely volume examines the relationship between elections, especially electoral systems, and conflict management in africa, while also serving as an important reference for other regions. A quick look at the past decade of elections held in africa demonstrates the nagging persistence of election violence. Since the arab spring in 2011, several north african countries have also held multiparty elections. Africa has grown and matured to resolve its conflicts, says former republican vicepresident nevers mumba. In this dissertation the author hypothesizes that h1. We examine the impact of gender equality on electoral violence in africa. The paper found out that electoral malpractice in africa is closely related to the. Electoral violence in africa introduction since the reintroduction of multiparty politics in subsaharan africa in the early 1990s, electoral competition for state power has become the norm and many states there have since held more than three successive elections. Electionrelated disputes and political violence strengthening the role of the african union in preventing, managing, and resolving conflict. Conflict can be defined as a clash or disagreement often violent between opposing groups or individuals. Electoral systems and conflict in divided societies. In many countries where electoral violence is a risk, it tends to recur and may conse quently lead to an unfavorable view of democratization. Again this raises the question of the constitution as an instrument for resolving conflicts that arise out of the electoral process. Most importantly anticorruption measures must be adopted.

About the authors the lead author, claire elder, worked as a consultant with international crisis groups horn of africa project in. The theme was preventing and managing violent electionrelated conflict in africa. This inference seems selfevident to many, given that african rebel movements almost always are ethnically. Electoral politics in africa since 1990 by jaimie bleck. North africa was a crucial combat zone during both wars. Electoral systems, constitutionalism and conflict management. Lindberg department of political science, lund university, po box 52, lund 221 00, sweden abstract based on an original data set of elections in africa, this article addresses the orthodoxy of theoretical hypotheses regarding the e. Electoral violence in subsaharan africa 3 cent of african elections can be characterized as violent with voters experiencing harassment, intimidation, and in some cases, death, as a direct result of the electoral process. As defined by johan galtung, structural conflict denotes negative peace. Poor security force training aggravates electoral conflicts. This study is, however, limited to the electoral commissions of kenya and south africa and thus it might not cover some aspects of independence of electoral bodies in other african countries. Regional variations in three principal conflict trends are then presented for the central, east, west, and southern regions of africa.

Africa has been harmed enough through this electoral violence. But mumba warns that the next round of conflicts in africa shall be triggered by faulty and partisan electoral commissions. This paper examines african conflicts and the roles of the african union au in conflict resolution, focusing on the recent zimbabwe and kenya conflicts. The african continent has suffered numerous armed conflicts, some of which have been blamed on mass media. Electoral systems and conflict in divided societies ben reilly and andrew reynolds 1 t his work examines whether the choice of an electoral system in a culturally plural society can affect the potential for future violent conflict. The way forward what then should be done to avert the actions and inactions of perpetrators causing electoral violence in our region. Partisan electoral commissions will trigger conflicts in.

Pdf african union, conflict, and conflict resolution in. Triggers and characteristics of kenyan electoral violence. Electoral violence can be physical violence, but can also include threats and intimidation. Kenyas electoral commission, like many in africa, hopes to deploy a system with biometric voter identification and electronic results transmission so as to avoid the ballotstuffing and dubious turnout figures that plagued past elections, particularly in 2007. Elections and conflict in subsaharan africa 20 woodrow. The role of election monitoring bodies in africa 1. The book brings together for the first time the latest thinking on the many different roles elections can play in democratization and conflict management. Africa as a continent has continued to face changes in conflicts which have led to the insecurity within its borders. Electionrelated disputes and political violence strengthening the role of the african union. Voting, electoral violence, rule of law, institutions, africa, kenya.

It is time we as africans exercise some level of integrity in our electoral process. The ethnification of electoral conflicts in kenya accord. A case study is drawn from the gambia to explore the main causes of electoral conflicts, strategies used to consolidate democracy and reduce electoral conflicts and the possible solutions to those. Oct 23, 2018 africa as a continent has continued to face changes in conflicts which have led to the insecurity within its borders. Pdf since 1990 contested elections have again become a regular fixture of the political systems of subsaharan africa. Electoral violence is not limited to general and national elections. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project. Electionrelated disputes and political violence strengthening the role of the african union in preventing, managing, and resolving conflict report of the au panel of the wise. Elections and violent conflict in kenya claire elder, susan stigant, and jonas claes. Colonial production, extraverted and coercive as it already was, was ruthlessly reorganized to produce record amounts of primary agricultural and mineral commodities for the imperial armies and economies.

Nordiska afrikainstitutetthe nordic africa institute, november 2018. Presumably then, the conflicts are a unique mix of these similarities and differences. Pulp endeavours to publish and make available innovative, highquality. While the frequency of elections and the advancements in the. In contemporary conflict transformation processes, state and nonstate actors at the national, regional, and global levels identify a broad range of factors that cause conflicts. Africa, the commission leaders developed conflict management committees at both the national and district levels. Elections and conflict management in africa united states. Constitutionalism and democratic governance in africa. The recent 2016 post election crisis in gabon12 that left scores dead seems to shows that electoral violence is an intractable phenomenon on the. In africa, countries that use majoritarian electoral systems are more likely to experience postelection conflicts than are. A preventive approach to postelection conflicts in. The insecurity has been seen largely in form of coups, genocides, ethnic cleansing, xenophobia, and lately rampant of all is electoral insecurity. Participatory politics grew in the 1990s and 2010s, as the percentage of african countries holding democratic elections increased from 7 to 40 percent and in 2010, freedom house classified eighteen countries on the continent as electoral democracies. Studies indicate that violence in africas elections affects between 19 and 25 percent of elec.

Feb 16, 2017 the general shortcoming of both court systems and intergovernmental bodies is that they have not delivered longterm solutions to electoral problems and, as a result, electionrelated conflicts have become a recurrent phenomenon in africa. State structure and electoral systems in postconflict situations authors jarrett blanc aanund hylland kare vollan ifes 1101 15th st nw suite 300 washington, d. As related but distinct fields of peacebuilding practice, atrocity prevention, electoral violence prevention, and conflict prevention remain stovepiped and require. Pretoria university law press pulp the pretoria university law press pulp is a publisher at the faculty of law, university of pretoria, south africa. Understanding the causes of conflicts in africa africa has a high prevalence of civil wars and this is commonly attributed to the ethnic diversity of its countries. Electoral mediation in the democratic republic of the congo.