Elections are not the sole indicators of a thriving democracy. If they were, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)'s landslide victory in the 2015 general election would not have been followed by public protests in major regions of the country within a year. Often, people point to elections as proof of democracy. However, elections are precursors, rather than a signifier of democratic rule.
"Democracy is not just about one day every four or five years when elections are held," stated former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan when asked whether elections were giving democracy a bad name, "but a system of government that respects the separation of powers ... and the rule of law."
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