ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN WEST AFRICA: A SYNTHESIS OF ISSUES

Abstract

The third wave of democratization resulted in transition from authoritarian rules to democratic governance in West African countries when elections became the bedrock for contesting political power. Since then, elections have remained the cornerstone and one of the most important ingredients of democratic governance due to its capacity to regulate the dynamics of political power. However, elections in the West African sub-region seem to have been characterized by high grade fraud and malpractices that tend to undermine democratic governance in the sub-region. This paper is therefore set to examine elections and democratic governance in West Africa: a synthesis of issues. The paper posits that inability of some countries in West Africa to conduct credible elections has led to the failure of democratic governance to engender legitimating of governmental powers, transparency, participation and accountability. Relying on secondary sources of data and elite capture theory, the paper argues that most elections in the West African region have failed to meet the minimum benchmark for credible, free and fair elections. It uncovers the inherent ethno-religious and cultural plurality seems to have made elections a major stake among political competitors resulting to colossal rigging and elite manipulations. This has continued to hinder democratic governance in Africa. It is therefore recommended that Africans should embrace credible elections as indispensable mechanism for facilitating democratic governance that can propel socio-economic development of the African societies.