The Afrobarometer report sheds light on the importance of elections in Africa, especially during a year marked by a significant number of national elections. The report underlines the critical role of quality and legitimacy in these crucial contests. It reveals that a majority of Africans, around 75%, view elections as the most effective means to choose their leaders, with strong support for multiparty competition to ensure voters have genuine choices. However, the report also points out a concerning trend of decreasing support for elections over the past decade, possibly due to disillusionment stemming from issues like election quality, disputes, and violence.
Moreover, the report highlights that while most citizens across surveyed countries support elections, there are disparities in opinions, with some countries showing lower levels of support. For instance, only 44% of citizens in Lesotho favor elections. The data also indicates that about 64% of Africans desire multiparty competition to guarantee real choices in governance. Despite this desire for electoral options, there is a noticeable decline in popular commitment to democratic norms and practices, as evidenced by the drop in citizens’ perceptions of the fairness of recent national elections from 66% to 59% since 2011/2013.
Furthermore, the report reveals a growing skepticism among Africans regarding the effectiveness of elections in ensuring representation and accountability. Less than half of the population believes that their countries’ elections lead to MPs representing the views of voters (42%) or enable the removal of leaders who do not meet public expectations (45%). Additionally, trust in national electoral commissions appears to be lacking, with only 39% expressing some level of trust, while 57% have little to no trust. These findings underscore the need for continuous efforts to enhance the quality, transparency, and effectiveness of electoral processes to rebuild trust and strengthen democratic practices across the continent.
