The African Union and the Promotion of Democratic Values in Africa: An Electoral Perspective

The document evaluates the African Union's (AU) efforts to promote democracy through electoral perspectives, arguing that while AU declarations have positively influenced the electoral landscape, elections often remain 'democratic liabilities' rather than assets. It identifies key setbacks including the resurgence of military coups, tenure elongation (the 'third term agenda'), and the refusal of incumbents to concede power. The author critiques AU election monitoring for being undermined by poor field coverage, a short-term focus on election-day events, and a tendency to be less critical of incumbents seeking re-election. The paper concludes that AU reports lack legal force and often conflict with domestic observer findings, necessitating a shift toward long-term monitoring and stronger collaboration with local civil society.

• The African Union has established a normative framework to combat unconstitutional changes of government, including the Lomé Declaration and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). The ACDEG expanded the definition of unconstitutional change to include the 'manipulation of constitutions and legal instruments for prolongation of tenure of office by (an) incumbent regime'.
• Military coups have resurged in Africa between 2003 and 2012, often linked to crises of legitimacy and governance. Examples include interventions in the Central African Republic (2003), Guinea-Bissau (2003, 2009, 2012), Togo (2005), Mauritania (2005, 2008), Guinea (2008), Niger (2009, 2010), and Madagascar (2009).
• Incumbent leaders frequently use constitutional amendments to pursue 'tenure elongation' or a 'third term agenda'. Between 2000 and 2010, 11 of 14 presidents who attempted such amendments were successful, often leveraging the power of incumbency and control over state resources to silence opposition.
• Power-sharing arrangements used to resolve post-election conflicts in Kenya and Zimbabwe are critiqued as palliatives that postpone rather than resolve conflict. These arrangements often fail to address fundamental issues like constitutional reform, land reform, and inter-ethnic inequalities.
• AU election monitoring is hampered by poor representation and coverage, with delegations often consisting of approximately 20 observers. This leads to a focus on capital cities and a neglect of 'more vulnerable polling centres in remote towns and villages'.
• The AU's monitoring strategy is predominantly short-term, focusing on election-day events while neglecting volatile pre-election campaigns and post-election activities. Most AU teams stay only three to five days, which is insufficient to grasp the 'institutional architecture of the elections'.
• AU election-monitoring reports lack the force of law, meaning the AU is 'largely powerless to intervene in the internal affairs of the host country' regardless of the findings. This limitation allows governments to be inaugurated even when elections fall short of prescribed standards.
• There is a perceived 'solidarity thesis' within the AU where reports tend to be less critical of incumbents seeking re-election to protect them from humiliation. This has led to contradictions where AU reports describe elections as 'successful' while domestic or international groups cite a lack of integrity, as seen in the 2011 Republic of Congo election.

APA

Omotola, J. S. (2014). The African Union and the Promotion of Democratic Values in Africa: An Electoral Perspective. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Occasional-Paper-185.pdf

Chicago

Omotola, J Shola. The African Union and the Promotion of Democratic Values in Africa: An Electoral Perspective. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Occasional-Paper-185.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Omotola |first1=J Shola |title=The African Union and the Promotion of Democratic Values in Africa: An Electoral Perspective |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Occasional-Paper-185.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{omotola2014african, author = {Omotola, J Shola}, title = {{The African Union and the Promotion of Democratic Values in Africa: An Electoral Perspective}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Occasional-Paper-185.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }