There is a need to build inclusive political parties and development programmes

Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping in Libreville on September 9, 2016. PHOTO | STEVE JORDAN | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Parties should be broad-based and organised in a manner that brings many regions, interests and people together rather than in a manner that antagonises them.
  • In all instances where there is electoral violence, parties are indicted for planning to exclude certain groups or communities from power.

Last week, a major international conference on political parties and electoral violence took place in Cape Verde, West Africa. The organisers of the conference included the African Union Commission’s department of political affairs and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

The organisers chose Cape Verde for two particularly important reasons. One, the country is holding its presidential elections on Sunday October 2. The country successively held parliamentary elections in March this year and there were no disputes. All past elections held in recent years in this nation of many islands have never attracted any significant dispute among candidates. They are held in a transparent and peaceful manner. Candidates who lose concede defeat in an admirable manner knowing too well that they will contest again and, probably, win the election.

The country has not had any electoral or political violence in recent times. The parties do not violently outcompete each other. Neither are campaigns organised using hate language to provoke the opponents. All parties show high levels of tolerance to each other and they present their programmes to voters in the island and the diaspora with a high degree of respect, humility, and tolerance. They oppose one another without hatred that is characteristic of our political relations.

Secondly, the organisers chose Cape Verde because it is one of the few countries in Africa that has become a middle-income country within one generation. Only 15 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. Per capita income is equivalent of Sh400,000 ($4,000). Life expectancy in the country is estimated at 70 years. In terms of human development, Cape Verde ranks third out of 43 countries in Africa.

Cape Verde has achieved all this within a generation. More than 50 per cent of the population lived below the poverty line in the 1980s. Per capita income was below $1,000; and life expectancy was just about 50 years in the 1980s.

Cape Verde therefore showcases important political developments and economic gains. In fact, Guinea Bissau got independence in 1974, almost the same time with Cape Verde (1975), but Guinea Bissau is today a "banana case"; it is one of the least developed countries in the world.

MATURE CULTURE

Cape Verde has developed a mature political culture in the last one generation. Elections are competitive but they do not break the country. If fact, it is difficult to tell whether the campaigns for presidential elections are going on. There are no signs that the elections are a "do-or-die" thing. There is no political excitement at all. People also respect their political institutions, the Judiciary and the parliament are seen as independent institutions to be relied upon in case there is a crisis. People have confidence in these and other institutions. Although there is no political excitement, people turn out to vote; they vote in large numbers in the country and in the diaspora.

These gains are rare to find elsewhere in Africa. Violence is a common feature in many elections in many parts of the world today and Africa in particular. In Zambia’s recent election, violence spread quite fast because the opposition claimed the elections was rigged. Even before the votes were cast, the opposition was visibly angry. The opposition also began to mobilise support on regional basis claiming the south was marginalised.

In Gabon, the incumbent President Bongo rigged out the opposition candidate Jean Ping quite early in the polls in a laughable manner. Votes cast in Bongo’s region showed a 99.93 per cent voter turnout yet the turnout in other regions was between 45 and 70 per cent. In the end Bongo won with a razor thin margin. Violence rapidly spread out and many people have lost their lives. The country remains polarised and President Bongo is not keen to lose out or even negotiate with the opposition. The opposition is also claiming to have won the election. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, political violence has already claimed many lives even though it is not election time. In Uganda’s last elections the violence claimed many people. Tanzania’s election was no different. There was violence in different parts of the country. Neither is South Africa’s recent election witnessed violence too. Here at home, the demonstrations to get out the Commissioners at the election management office claimed several lives. In Uganda’s recent elections, the violence by the government against the opposition left the country polarised.

BREAK COUNTRIES

In many instances, elections tend to break rather than build countries. They are becoming a stumbling hurdle to democracy. In fact, there are those who fail to vote because they are convinced that elections are not "good" for democracy today. Indeed, voter apathy characterises many elections in Africa today. And violence is one reason for this apathy. This is in addition to choice-less elections or situations where people are presented with the same menu of candidates.

Factors contributing to increase in electoral violence include poverty and high levels of inequalities that characterise many societies in Africa. The state of the economy and poor development, ironically, motivate leaders to turn to politics for personal gain. The private sector does not present an alternative source of wealth. Once in power, they protect their positions using any available means.

Related to the above is the use of an election system in which losers lose everything and winners takes all. This makes elections a "do-or-die" competition. To win, many leaders turn to mobilising their ethnic communities and pitting them against others. In the end this leaves the society highly divided. The divisions are usually maintained even outside of elections by using "hate language" against the community of the leader in power or hate language against the community of the defeated leaders. In other words, elections become a danger to diversity; rather than help in creating national cohesion; elections divide people along ethnicity, religious or even regional lines.

Political parties are used as the tools to widen these divisions. They are formed along these divisions and they in turn mobilise people along these divisions. The parties also lack internal democracy. They are literary owned by a few individuals who in turn use them to advance their interests. This is the trend in many parties across Africa. Of course there are a few exceptions to this especially in countries where the independence parties are still governing.

INCLUSIVE PARTIES

The above clearly tells a story of the need to build inclusive political parties and inclusive development programmes if electoral violence is to be avoided. Parties should be broad-based and organised in a manner that brings many regions, interests, and people together rather than in a manner that antagonises them. In all instances where there is electoral violence, parties are indicted for planning to exclude certain groups or communities from power.

Related to this is the need to ensure national development is inclusive or benefits every region and community. The violence taking place in many parts of Africa today apparently shows those whose leaders lose in elections turn to violence because they are certain that they will be marginalised from development because the winners will take everything.

This is a problem that many countries have addressed by undertaking development projects that benefit every region of the country. In some instances, successful governments develop a "Marshal Plan" specifically targeting groups that are in the margins of development to bring them at par with everyone. This helps ease tensions and creates a sense of nationhood. It helps in addressing diversity.

Inter-party dialogue is lauded as a credible approach to political problems. Perceptions, rumours and disinformation are characteristic feature of politics in many countries but these can be addressed through a platform of negotiations and consensus building. Where parties meet and dialogue, they bond for the betterment of the nation. Inter-party dialogue improves the atmosphere in which candidates lose and concede defeat even when they lose with one vote. Where there is no dialogue, rumour and perceptions drive the campaigns and declare elections as rigged even before the casting of the vote has begun.

 

Prof Karuti Kanyinga is based at the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nairobi.