Opinion
Analyzing the co-relation of the rise of Africa and the continents’ increasing embrace of democracy
Despite technical glitches, Kenya passed this test, helping to mend its image as one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
Standard Bank economist Simon Freemantle said the Kenya vote added to a list of recent African elections where incumbent leaders accepted defeat, such as Zambia’s Rupiah Banda in 2011 and Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade in 2012, or where losing challengers heeded the verdict of the ballot box and the courts.
“The momentum, the general thrust is absolutely positive, these are all examples from very different countries – different geographically, historically, culturally, and all showing signs of that maturation,” said Freemantle.
Most Africa watchers say the continent has unquestionably moved on from the time when government change was more likely to come from the point of a gun than a ballot box.
In its 2012 “Africa attractiveness” survey, Ernst & Young recalled that between 1960, the milestone year for African independence, and 1990 there was only one instance of an African leader or ruling party being voted out of office.
The continent gained an unenviable reputation for bloody coups, kleptocratic “Big Men” dictators, and brutal civil wars fought over resources and often featuring child soldiers – an image of chaos and conflict that has endured over the years.
“The perception is that Africa is often more politically unstable, more corrupt and more challenging to do business than anywhere else in the world,” the Ernst & Young survey said.
