Counting Vote and Bodies: Election-Related Violence in Africa and Power-Sharing Governments

Abstract

<p>After barely three decades of statehood and independence from colonialism, Sub-Sahara African states joined the Ifthird wave" of democratization in the 1990s by transforming many authoritarian regimes into democracies. Elections-the bedrock events of any democracy, is also the political institution most open to manipulation (Reynolds 2009, pp 75)has demonstrated that competitive elections are a double edge sword, producing change, rebirth, renewat power alternation as well as exacerbate communal conflicts, political polarization and social disequilibrium. By the close of 2010, about 2/3 of African countries were in democratic transition at different levels. Elections conducted to nurture these nascent democracies have been characterized by fraud, disputed results and violent conflicts in many countries. Africa's overall rate of electoral disputes stood at 28% as against 10% for Asia by 1999 and had doubled the share of flawed elections in the world (Pastor 1999 ppl27). African leaders with the support of developed countries have adopted the formation of unity government to resolve postelection conflicts. Kenya and Zimbabwe after flawed elections in 2007 and 2008 respectively are examples and Cote d' Ivoire is sliding into a civil as result of disputed election results. The African Union has proposed unity government as a solution. Studies on election violent in Africa have identified; incumbent government manipulation of elections, weak state institutions and ethnically divided societies as the main causes of election-related violence. Not much has been studied about the contribution of poor election management election related conflicts and the impact of post-conflict power-sharing arrangements on democracy. In this study I propose to evaluate the role of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and political parties' activities in electionrelated violence and their effect on affected countries.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 8, 2011</p>