1. Introduction Unconstitutional changes of government, wherever they occur, pose a serious threat to the democratic stability of a state. Inversely, the failure to strengthen democracy in a country often results in unconstitutional changes of government. That has been the scenario painted in most countries across Africa. The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) has very well described unconstitutional changes of government as the prime cause of insecurity, instability and violent conflicts in Africa . The catalytic factors which brought this phenomenon to life in Africa are imprinted in the history of African states. Following the attainment of political independence by many African countries in the 1960s, there were expectations that Africa would develop and achieve political and economic stability. The exhilaration that independence brought had barely settled when the hope for these expectations started to fade. Since their existence as independent states most African countries have grappled with visionless leadership from authoritarian regimes, characterised by flagrant abuse of democratic values, fundamental human rights, the rule of law, equality and political legitimacy. As a result, citizens have been exposed to pitiable conditions brought into being by rising poverty which eventually leads to a cycle of armed ethnic conflicts and civil wars among other crises . Between 1961 and 1997, it is estimated that Africa experienced 78 unconstitutional changes of government . A comparative study by Posner and Young in The institutionalization of Political Power in Africa , whose sample included 227 leaders from 46 sub-Saharan African countries, found that “nearly three-quarters of African leaders who left... ... middle of paper ... ...5) of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the African Union Article 23 (2) of the Constitutive Act and Rule 37 (5) of Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the African Union Rule 36 of Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the African Union Article 7 (g) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union Stef Vandeginste (2011) “The African Union, constitutionalism and power-sharing” Working Paper/ 2011.05, Institute of Development Policy and Management University of Antwerp, Belgium. AU Assembly Decision of 2 February 2010 Katia Papagianni , “Power-Sharing: A Conflict Resolution Tool?” Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Africa Mediators’ Retreat, 2009 at http://www.hdcentre.org/uploads/tx_news/110PowerSharing-Aconfilctresolutiontool.pdf. (accessed 30/3/14) Article 249 of the Constitution of Kenya.
On the other issue about European political structures changing African leadership, while researching my term paper, I found out that before the European influence, African leadership was not unified. Each individual group had its own leaders. The Europeans introduced a system of government in Africa whereby everyone was unified under either one leader or a group of leaders. This type of rule could be seen in God’s Bits of Wood. The union served as the central control for all the people. It allowed people to come together and discuss working conditions and made it possible for everyone to realize that there were others that had similar feelings about the way they were being treated at work. As a united force they would have leverage against unscrupulous European business owners. With this alliance, they could force change, take back some of the control that had been taken from them and mold a new future for the African people.
"The wind of change is blowing through this [African] continent, and whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it" (Macmillan). This speech, made by the prime minister of England in 1960, highlights the vast changes occurring in Africa at the time. Changes came quickly. Over the next several years, forty-seven African countries attained independence from colonial rule. Many circumstances and events had and were occurring that led to the changes to which he was referring. The decolonization of Africa occurred over time, for a variety of complex reasons, but can be broken down into two major contributing factors: vast changes brought about in the world because of World War II and a growing sense of African nationalism.
European colonization had an impact on the government of Africa. One day, a white man came to the African council and told them that they now had a king. The King of Europe was now their king and Africa was his land. A new council was made in the town of Nairobi, in which acted for their King and was Africa’s government. The council made laws for the Africans to follow (Doc.
There are countries that are not as lucky as America, where people have their rights taken away from them, like in Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea has a very corrupt government. It has been said that the voting has been rigged so that the president will win the election as many times as he wants. Most of the power is in the executive branch, so the president has most of the power of the country and no one can say anything about what he wants to happen. He president will harass the opposing parties so that he will win (Williams). In the article Equatorial Guinea HRW (Human Rights Watch) says, “Corruption, poverty, and repression continue to plague Equatorial Guinea under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979”. The “...per capita gross domestic product...” for Equatorial Guinea is $30,000, but yet most of the people live in poverty. The “...Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE)...” rule the political system, you could say that it is a monopoly. The president of Equatorial Guinea will have a say in court cases. The court cases that are sensitive get brought to him and he gets asked what he wants to do (Equatorial...). We should care about Equatorial Guinea because arrest without reason, torture captives and give little rights to women.
When the government becomes weak, people look for others to lead them. Political transitions can sometimes unintentionally lead to civil wars. The unintended outcomes of democratic transitions can lead to massive tension between groups of people. The weakness of political intuitions provides people with the opportunity to take advantage and seize power. There has been an increasing trend in civil wars post World War Two, and this will likely continue to be an issue in the future. Civil wars have become increasing prevalent in Africa. This can specifically be seen in Rwanda between the Hooties and Tooties. The tension between the two groups can be attributed to primordalsim, but the war itself was able to take place because the government was too weak to stop it from happening. Additionally, when a country has a lack of resources, and resources are not allocated properly, groups of people will fight over them. Without government intervention, different ethnic and social groups have the ability to wage war and fight other groups in order to secure both power and
As noted by Jackson and Rosberg, many either expected or hoped that the newly independent countries would take steps towards democratization and liberalization (422). However, these countries mostly evolved towards an autocratic style led by rulers that were either unrestrained by the law or did not feel threatened by it. This has been the major problem that has plagued African democratization over the past few decades. The leaders of these states have a disproportionate amount of power, with little incentive to give up said power – either by delegating more power to the legislature or by giving up power voluntarily through the instituting of term limits. On top of this disproportionate power that lacks any inherent incentive to give up, the other branches of government have no power to stop the executive branch. Even if they do have the necessary constitutional power to check the executive branch, they lack the enforcement capabilities necessary to make this power useful. This creates a situation wherein the executive is able to disregard the other branches of government and do as he wishes. This environment is not conducive to the process of democratization, and thus dissatisfied peoples will naturally feel a desire to replace this system with another one that will be more beneficial. These people could be from the
Africa has long been a nation of conflict and strife. Certain countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have a prolonged history of corrupt leaders, violence and lack of resources. These conflicts often can lead to spill over and create wars in their neighboring countries. When a weak state has internal conflict it often spreads to surrounding weak states as it did with many of the countries in central Africa. This type of crisis will often involve the entire world in a variety of capacities such as militaries, foreign aid and the global economy. Congo especially has proved to create problems that continue to persist in the modern world and much of that is due to leadership of Motubu Sese Seko. “The conflict [in Congo] produced tremendous carnage: as many as 3.8 million dead and many more injured or displaced. Both phrases of the war (1996-97 and 1998-2002) involved domestic militias, a massive foreign invasion, and shifting alliances – with Angola, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe playing major roles. Even though the was has officially ended, peace remains elusive”(Atzili 2007 pg 141). One player’s internal conflicts spread through an entire continent and affected the whole world and caused enormous damage. All countries need to strive to maintain strong institutions to be a good global citizen and one of the keys to this is leadership.
Some of the effects of slavery in America were positive, but almost all of slavery’s impact in Africa was harmful. One major change in the areas that slaves were exported from is shown in demographics. Thousands of males were taken from their families and communities, and the tribes were expected to survive without many of their local leaders or role models. Not only did local tribes in Africa have hardships, but the leadership in many of the countries’ governments weren’t stable. The cruel trade demonstrated “how the external demand for slaves caused political instability, weakened states, promoted political and social fragmentation, and resulted in a deterioration of domestic legal institutions” (Nunn) in Africa. In addition to the crumbling political aspects of the tribes, there were cultural and native conflicts. Many wars and disagreements occurred, and those conflicts significantly slowed down development and economic growth in African countries
In conclusion Nigeria has never been able to sustain a legitimate democracy. The legacies of British colonialism have created unstable political institutions that have been extremely susceptible to military coups. While ethnic tensions have lead to political party association and corruption, rent-seekers and continual economic decline have decreased support for the government. Although recently Nigeria has seen a shift away from military control as people have recognized its unsuccessfulness, questions still remain about the new democracy. Consider the last time this type of democracy was established, it only lasted four years. Given all these factors and the military history of OlusgunObasanjo, it is no wonder the new democracy is considered fragile.
Africa’s struggle to maintain their sovereignty amidst the encroaching Europeans is as much a psychological battle as it is an economic and political one. The spillover effects the system of racial superiority had on the African continent fractured ...
Since Africa’s cities and tribes stand alone in their political practices there is no one representation of government. This results in domestic political concerns of the solidity of the state. All of this contributes as Africa being
Charlick, R. (2000) "Popular participation and Local Government Reforms" Africa Notes, New York: Cornell University, (April) pp1-5
Africa's Growth Tragedy: Policies and Ethnic Divisions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Institute for International Development, Harvard U, 1996. Print. Hopkins, A. G.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
“It is not surprising that most states on the continent adopted a socialist outlook after independence. Having rid their countries of colonial rule, the task now was to reduce dependence on the West, and to restructure economies to ensure that local development needs were prioritised. Only in this manner could poverty be reduced and social welfare be provided for all. Few African leaders considered capitalism and liberalism appropriate methods to achieve these goals…this is not to say that African leaders adopted socialism as prescribed by the Soviet Union.” (Thomson 2010, 38)