Kgalalelo Nganje
It's a busy time for elections in Africa, with countries like the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe and Kenya gearing up for the polls.
And as elections increasingly become the legitimate way to acquire political
power on the continent, winning votes has become a matter of life and death
for the political elite in many countries.
Contentious election campaigns, manipulation of electoral processes in
favour of incumbent candidates and disputed election results are some of the
problems that have sparked election-related conflicts, as highlighted by the
2015 UN peacebuilding review. Violence that marred elections in Kenya in
2007/8, Zimbabwe in 2008 and Côte d'Ivoire in 2010 come to mind.
There are already signs of electoral conflict in the DRC, where President
Joseph Kabila continues to cling to power after completing his
constitutionally mandated two terms, and presidential and parliamentary
elections have been delayed by violence in the Kasai-central province. This
raises concerns about what lies ahead for the country when elections are
eventually held.
Zimbabwe, whose history is rife with election-related violence, is another
hotspot as it approaches elections expected to be held in July 2018.
Similarly, voting in Kenya has been tainted by ethnic and political violence
in the past, and there are indications that the 8 August elections this year
will take place against an extremely polarised political backdrop.
African states need to become more active in preventing electoral violence
as part of their peacekeeping efforts on the continent. And South Africa, as
the second largest African economy and a historical advocate for peace and
security responses, is no exception.
The country should play a stronger role not only in supporting electoral
processes, but by helping to avert election-related violence in Africa.
South Africa has earned a reputation for its support during elections in
other African countries. Through the African Renaissance and International
Cooperation Fund, Pretoria has provided direct support to electoral
processes, including in the DRC, Zimbabwe, the Comoros and South Sudan.
But this support is often limited to logistical, technical and financial
support - and isn't especially helpful in preventing electoral violence.
The role of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is worth noting
here. The IEC has in the past played a key role in trying to close the
technical capacity gap experienced by many electoral management bodies in
Africa. This sort of help can strengthen the capacity and efficiency of
these bodies, which would in turn bolster public confidence in their ability
to organise credible elections.
However, as was the case with the technical assistance provided by the IEC
during the DRC's botched 2011 elections, this support often doesn't make
much difference, due to the politicisation of the work of electoral
management bodies in many African countries.
Tom Hardy is known for his many menacing movie roles, such as the villainous
Bane in 'The Dark Knight Rises' and twin gangsters in 'Legend'. But ...
And rather than enhancing public confidence in the DRC election process,
Pretoria was accused of being complicit with the Congolese government in
rigging the elections. Evidently South Africa isn't providing the necessary
diplomatic interventions to help African countries reach the political
consensus required to hold credible and peaceful elections.
It was never going to be easy for Pretoria to influence the political
contexts in which elections were held in Africa. This was evident in the
animosity between Lindiwe Zulu, former South African envoy to Zimbabwe under
the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and
President Robert Mugabe's government in the lead-up to Zimbabwe's 2013
elections.
In an African environment where respect for national sovereignty remains
sacred, and without any significant political or economic leverage, South
Africa must learn how to better navigate around this difficult space.
The effects of inaction, or interventions that are too little too late, can
be bad both for the continent and South Africa. New waves of political
violence in Zimbabwe or the DRC triggered by disputed elections would not
only worsen the refugee problem in South Africa, but have a negative ripple
effect on the country's already ailing economy. South Africa is the DRC's
biggest supplier of foreign goods and services, providing over 30% of the
country's total imports. Zimbabwe's economy is even more intertwined with
that of South Africa.
How then can South Africa help prevent conflict in Africa's electoral
processes?
In the short term, Pretoria should prioritise using the African Union (AU)
and SADC as diplomatic entry points to put pressure on electoral
stakeholders to reach consensus on obstacles that could undermine the
integrity of polls.
South Africa's long-term engagement as SADC's facilitator in Lesotho, since
2014 - several years ahead of the June 2017 elections - largely contributed
to peaceful elections. This model should be adopted for other countries on
the continent.
South Africa should use its influence within these multilateral
organisations to prevent their election observation activities from becoming
perfunctory rituals, and instead instil confidence in electoral processes
and prevent conflict.
Pretoria must be proactive and forward-looking in its support of other
African countries' electoral processes, and must not be distracted by
partisan interests.
Sustained engagements that strike a balance between technical and logistical
support on the one hand, and political engagements on the other, could help
improve the democratic quality of elections in Africa.
This in turn could help reduce the risk of electoral violence.
Kgalalelo Nganje, Consultant, Peace Operations and Peacebuilding Programme,
ISS Pretoria In South Africa, Daily Maverick has exclusive rights to
re-publish ISS Today articles.
EM
On the 49th Parallel
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in
anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni
katika machafuko"
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