The third wave of democracy that reached African shores at the end of the Cold War brought with it a dramatic decline from 1990 onwards in dictatorships, military regimes, one-party governments, and presidents for life. Multiparty democracy was at the core of the constitutional revolutions that swept through most of Africa in those watershed years. However, that wave is either losing momentum or receding - or being reversed in its entirety. This volume examines democracy and elections in Africa, a focus motivated by two concerns. First, after 30 years it is important to take stock of the state of constitutional democracy on the continent. The democratic gains of the 1990s and 2000s seem to be falling by the wayside, with the evidence mounting that regimes are concealing authoritarianism under the veneer of elections, doing so in an international context where populist regimes are on the rise and free and fair multiparty elections are consequently no longer a given. It is becoming a battle to protect and retain constitutional democracy.
The second reason for this volume's focus on democracy and elections is that multiparty democracy is essential for the proper functioning of the state in addressing the major problems facing Africa - internal conflict, inequality and lack of development, and poor governance and corruption. The focus of this volume is thus on how competitive politics or multiparty democracy can be realized and how, through competition, such politics could lead to better policy and practice outcomes.
Nico Steytler: Introduction: Democracy, Elections, and Constitutionalism in Africa Part 1: Making Multiparty Democracy Work in Africa 1: Charles M. Fombad: Democracy, Elections and Constitutionalism in Africa: Setting the Scene 2: Nicholas Cheeseman: How Could We Design Democracy to Make it Work in the African Context 3: Adem Abebe and Charles M. Fombad: The Africa Union and the Advancement of Democracy: The Problem of Unconstitutional Retention of Governmental Power. 4: Nico Steytler: Local Multiparty Democracy in Africa Part 2: Authoritarian Multiparty Democracy: Case Studies 5: Tinashe Chigwata: Multiparty Democracy in Zimbabwe After the Adoption of the 2013 Constitution 6: Henning Melber: Competitive Authoritarianism in a Constitutional Democracy: The Case of SWAPO in Namibia 7: Zemelak Ayitenew Ayele: Constitutionalism and Electoral Authoritarianism in Ethiopia: From EPRDF to EPP 8: Teresa Noguira Pinto: Constitutionalism and Developmental Authoritarianism: Power, Law and Legitimacy in Post-Genocide Rwanda 9: Sherif Elgebeily: Egypt's Plasticine Constitution: Autocratic Democracy and the 2018 Presidential Elections Part 3: Enhancing the Role of Political Parties in Making Democracy Work 10: Edwin Babeiya: Internal Party Democracy in Tanzania: A Reflection on Three Decades of Multiparty Politics 11: Zelalem Defigie: Party-political Financing, Democracy and Constitutionalism in Ethiopia (1991-2018) Part 4: Enhancing Democratic Quality Through Electoral Processes 12: Rotimi Suberu: Nigeria in Search of a Credible Electoral Administration: Recent Reforms and Persistent Challenges 13: O'Brien Kaaba and Charles M. Fombad: Adjudication of Disputed Presidential Elections in Africa Part 5: Promoting Inclusive and Participatory Democracy 14: Jill Cottrell Ghai: Women's Participation in Elections and Legislatures in Kenya Under the 2010 Constitution 15: Makanatsa Makonese: How Zimbabwe's 2013 Constitution Addresses Women's Election and Participation in Parliament Part 6: General Conclusion 16: Charles M. Fombad: Reversing the Surging Tide towards Authoritarian Democracy in Africa
Charles M. Fombad is Professor of Law and head of the African Comparative Constitutional Law Unit of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA), based at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria. Nico Steytler is South African Research Chair in Multi-level Government, Law and Policy, at the University of the Western Cape.
