2024 is a major election year. With Senegal (March) and South Africa (May) as some of Africa's leading democracies going through elections in the first half of this year, this has triggered a reflection on democracy in Africa.

Since the end of the advent of colonial rule, Africa has been on a steady path of democratic growth. The African Union (AU) has provided leadership in adopting a legal and policy framework within which democratisation needs to happen, as evidenced by the adoption of such instruments as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR), the AU Constitutive Act, the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance (ACDEG) as well as declarations and standards governing democratic elections.

This overall legal and policy framework in Africa recognises that the authority to govern is derived from the will of the people exercised through genuine free and fair elections that are held periodically. With these standards, the AU has also shifted from the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of the State, to adopt the principle of non-indifference which recognises that sovereignty comes with the responsibility to protect people's rights under the State.

Elections, coups and governance

In this context, elections in Africa are seen as a major vehicle of democratisation. This is evidenced by regular and generally chronologically compliant elections that are held as a method of choosing and deploying leaders into public office. Despite the increasing role of...