President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is reported as appealing to African countries to work towards making elections normal events to avoid the unnecessary tension they generate on the continent.
He says elections are but only a process to determine who leads and governs over a period and must not generate the kind of hysteria often witnessed among the populace.
The Ghanaian Times wishes all politicians would take this position but the truth is that African politicians normally do the opposite of what they claim to stand for.
When in the 1990s, there emerged the wave of elections that brought multi-party democracy to Africa, it was the expectation that since democracy is a system of government that recognises the involvement of at least the adult population of the country, rule of law and the rights of all citizens, including children, peace was going to be reigning everywhere democracy is embraced on the continent.
However, developments from different countries regarding the crises elections have brought about, statements or assertions like those put out by President Akufo-Addo are tenable and expected.
A good look at the experiences from Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Kenya would support any such assertions as relevant, especially so when there are some African countries going to hold elections from now till the end of the year.
The upcoming elections include Botswana – National Assembly and Local elections on October 30; Somaliland Presidential election on November 13; Guinea Bissau’s National Assembly elections on November 24; Namibia’s Presidential and National Assembly elections on November 27: Mauritius general election on November 30: Ghana’s general election on December 7; and National Assembly and Local elections in Chad on December 29.
The Ghanaian Times can say that elections everywhere can have their challenges but the kind of electoral challenges experienced in Africa are unique as some of them lead to making some citizens refugees, internally-displaced or even cause their death.
What at all is the make-up of the African such that he or she does not see elections as normal events to choose leaders to manage the affairs of their particular countries?
One thing is clear and that is the attitude of the African politician.
Even though ideally, politicians are supposed to manage the affairs of their countries in the interest of all the citizens, they come for their own interest and that of their families and cronies.
For this reason, they always want to perpetuate their stay in power and continue to smooch off the back of the state.
Thus, they, particularly the politicians in power already, make elections do-or-die affair by using all means, usually unfair tactics, to capture power.
Why do you think some presidents on the continent change the constitution to stay in power beyond the period stipulated in the very constitution that guided their coming into power in the first place?
It is about time politicians like President Akufo-Addo called a spade a spade and call their fellow politicians on the continent to book and stop addressing all Africans as if all of them have a hand in electoral crises on the continent.
After all, it is the politicians who cause and fan all the political chaos on the continent.