Richard Dowden, writing in the new issue of Prospect, argues that the latest round of electoral failues in Nigeria, Kenya and now Zimbabwe shows that western-style "winner-takes-all" democracy is not suited to African states. Competing ethnic and linguistic groups, arbitrary borders—the legacy of colonial rule—and a lack of democratic tradition create an climate unsuited to electoral systems in which one group takes complete power at the expense of others. What is needed instead, suggestes Dowden, is a new, "African" democracy, perhaps one that approaches a form of proportional representation in which all groups are accorded a seat at the top table.
Let us know your thoughts below.
Let us know your thoughts below.
