Election Violence in Africa: Why Does It Persist?

KEY POINTS

• Weak institutions allow election results to be easily contested.
• Ethnic divisions fuel clashes during elections.
• Political corruption leads to violence to suppress opposition.

Election violence remains a long-standing issue in Africa, questioning the potency of democracy on the continent. Despite the effort to make peaceful power transfer a norm, election violence continues to plague many countries in Africa. The underlying cause of this violence varies from country to country but the factors that are consistent in all these countries are weak institutions, ethnic differences, and corruption.

Weak Institutions Fuel Election Violence

One of the key contributors to election violence in Africa is the weakness of state institutions or structures.  In countries where democratic structures are not developed or can be easily manipulated, elections are perceived in a win-lose manner where losing means getting excluded from power and resources.

A good example of this was the 2007 general election in Kenya, which in turn led to the loss of over 1,200 lives and the forced displacement of 350,000 Kenyan citizens. 

The violence started after the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was proclaimed the winner of the 2007 presidential election. Supporters of Kibaki’s main opponent in that election, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, claimed that the result was manipulated.

In this violence, 50 unarmed Kikuyu women and children were murdered in cold blood, some of the children were as young as a month old. They were locked in a church and burned alive. Kibaki was a member of the Kikuyu community. This shows how innocent citizens suffer due to the greed of political figures.

Ethnic Divisions Exacerbate Election Clashes

Ethnicism further strengthens election violence. African politicians make use of tribal divisions to steal power for themselves, leading to violence within communities. The 2023 election in Nigeria was a vivid example of this. The election featured a tight contest between three major candidates: Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. 

The Igbos were the main target in the election violence that broke out in Lagos State because they were seen as the major supporters of Peter Obi. The Yoruba thugs based the violence on the fact that Lagos belongs to them, so the Igbos cannot win in their state.

These thugs in partnership with political parties, attacked polling units, destroyed ballot boxes, and physically abused voters. Several videos were shared on social media showing how people were beaten, injured and killed all because they wanted to exercise their civic rights.

In addition to reports of political thuggery, there were electoral fraudulent acts like vote buying, which was common in some states such as Kano and Kaduna. This practice of vote buying is not new in Nigerian elections but remains a major factor that hinders free and fair elections.

Despite the violence, vote-buying and clear manipulations of electoral results, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bola Tinubu the president-elect of the 2023 presidential election.

The results were followed by protests and legal actions from the opposition. Peter Obi refused the result suggesting that his supporters had been beaten and therefore they could not vote. His refusal and appeal were met with fatal defeat.

Political Corruption and Incumbency Violence

Electoral violence is aggravated by political corruption and greed. In many African countries, political leaders especially the ruling ones manipulate electoral processes in a bid to continue ruling. In Uganda, the 2021 election that extended President Yoweri Museveni’s 35th year in power was characterised by malicious political action such as the use of force, suppression of voters, and violent crackdown on supporters of the opposition.

Opposition candidate Bobi Wine was arrested several times, and 100 people were killed and more than 500 were injured during the election. This shows the extent to which selfish incumbents can go just to retain power.

A more recent example is the 2023 general election, which took place in Zimbabwe. There were complaints of vote-rigging and political manipulation during and after the election. The opposition party accused ZANU-PF of intimidating voters. The election campaign also featured protests that were stopped through arrests and the use of violence by security forces, reflecting exactly what happened during the 2008 election under former President Robert Mugabe.

The Way Forward

From the look of things, African leaders and political figures do not know what leadership is all about. They are just about keeping power to themselves and monopolizing national resources for their selfish gain. There is a dire need for mind reengineering and collective therapy because it takes having a wounded soul to waste people’s lives because of the desire to rule. 

Also, there should be a system of accountability for political leaders who rule selfishly, amass resources for themselves and take innocent lives. We can’t continue to allow people to die for nothing. Something has to be done to stop election violence in Africa.

The leaders and political figures also need to be reminded that Africa operates a democratic system because it seems they have forgotten. African leadership needs to renew their minds and take on new mindsets so that people can know peace and security again and also have the liberty to vote for whoever they want.