Democracies under pressure globally in this election year
As South Africa prepares for elections this year, some of the world’s largest democracies, including India, the US, Indonesia and Bangladesh, are also holding elections. Africa will have the most elections of any continent, with 21, including in Botswana, Namibia, Ghana and Senegal. Thus, 2024 will be a critical year for the future of democracy globally.
Despite the continued enthusiasm for holding regular and periodic elections across the world, democracy today faces many serious challenges. The number of coups in Africa has increased, with 17 major attempts since 2017, of which 11 succeeded. Meanwhile, elections in a number of other countries have been marred by increasing intimidation and restrictions on civil society and on political opponents and opposition parties.
According to Civicus, in the past year use of excessive and lethal force against protests, arbitrary arrests of journalists, and restrictions on internet and social media access has increased in many countries. While polls like Afrobarometer show strong support for democratic institutions and norms in Africa, it also shows that the tolerance for military or one-man rule is on the increase in some countries.
A notable challenge is the persistent myth that democracies are less able to achieve fast economic growth than authoritarian regimes. This is simply not true. Economists disagree about many things, but not about the strong evidence that links human-rights based democracy and economic development. While there are individual exceptions to this rule, the overarching evidence is not in doubt. Moreover, as many countries have experienced, the lack of power-sharing in an authoritarian state tends over time to lead to unrest, civil strife and serious economic setbacks, when revolutions, coups or civil wars arise.
Another myth is that democracy is a Western, thus an “un-African”, concept. But democracy is a universally recognised right. Its roots are within indigenous systems of governance and languages all over the world. Democratic ideals are enshrined and articulated by Africans through various mechanisms such as the African Charter of Peoples’ and Human Rights, as well as in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Democracy is also a main goal in the AU’s Agenda 2063.
Some challenges are new. Information technology and social media have led to a significant uptick in fake news and disinformation that seeks to distort or undermine democratic processes. Every country in the world now faces the threat of election tampering through fake news stories that are designed to influence elections. An example from the Kenyan elections in 2022 is a doctored video in which former President Barack Obama was portrayed as supporting one of the presidential candidates.
Independent quality journalism, media and internet literacy, as well as fact-checking services for possibly fake news is now more important than ever. Citizens across the world are becoming aware of these trends, and civil society in Africa is quickly responding. One example is “What’s Crap on WhatsApp”, by AfricaCheck, which provides factchecking for citizens concerned about the spread of disinformation, including during the 2021 local elections in South Africa. AfricaCheck is continuously updating its website with fact checks of statements by all South African political parties in the lead-up to the elections.
Threats and retaliatory acts of violence against journalists remain a concern. Female journalists in particular face specific sets of attacks that inhibit the delivery of factual reporting. For this reason, we the Nordics support free media, quality journalism and protection of journalists. This is done through multilateral organisations, such as Unesco, and support to civil society organisations. More than ever, the protection of free speech is a critical asset to any people who seek to maintain their political freedom and independence. This needs to be a national as well as a global effort.
As was the case in apartheid South Africa, the struggle for democracy starts and ends with its own citizenry. Without citizens’ willingness to take personal risks to attain their fundamental political and civil human rights, nothing can be gained.
International co-operation, but also support, is important, often even necessary, to tip the scales in favour of human rights and democracy. Making democracy requires hard work and co-operation, also across borders.
The tragedy of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre marked the starting point for Nordic assistance to the liberation movements in Southern Africa. Not only the Nordic governments were engaged, but also Nordic citizens joined in solidarity to fight apartheid. Until liberation, the Nordics gave direct grants to Southern African liberation movements. Today, Nordics continue to work with South Africa in areas that support a thriving democracy, such as peace mediation and job creation.
Few can seriously question that what happens in other states will eventually affect our own. The French, American and Spanish constitutional experiences were the inspiration for the adoption of a democratic constitution in Norway in 1814.
This again served as an inspiration for Denmark’s constitution of 1849. Both inspired constitutional democrats in Sweden and Finland, who succeeded in democratising their own countries.
The history of Southern, indeed all of, Africa follows a similar pattern: liberation and democratic governance spread from one country to inspire the next. The more countries that achieved liberation, the stronger other liberation movements became.
Unfortunately, the opposite also rings true.
When military strongmen carry out coups d’état, or when autocrats hold sham elections, the effects tend to spill over. Nordic countries are no exception. For example, the spread of disinformation, and attempts from authoritarian states to influence elections, affect our societies today. Russia’s military attack on its democratic neighbour Ukraine is an extreme example of such malign foreign interference.
This will be an important year for democracy. As South Africa is celebrating 30 years of democracy, there is an ongoing struggle to safeguard these rights across the continent and beyond.
The Nordics will continue to support human rights-based democracy throughout the world. It is critical that support is extended to ensure a free media and protection of journalists. Moreover, we support a democratic civil society and protect human rights defenders. We engage youth both as key constituents and as the guardians of a democratic future in our countries.
Finally, there is a need for renewed international solidarity to counter the increasing efforts to undermine democracy and fundamental freedoms across Africa and the world. There is no time to waste.