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Gambia's election and the future of African democracy

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Masterhawk

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Gambia's president of 22 years has finally lost an election and he will step down peacefully. Said president has been accused of rigging elections and being a fanatic in general. Earlier this year, the Ivory Coast held its first peaceful election in 22 years and a new president stepped into power (even though he was the former dictator of Nigeria). Unfortunately, not all countries have made progress. For example, Joseph Kabilla, president of the DRC, has decided to conduct a census to delay the election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/world/africa/gambia-election.html?_r=0

It would be wise for Gambia to establish term limits and make it difficult to amend the constitution.
 
Masterhawk said:
make it difficult to amend the constitution.
Click to expand...

This part is useless.

The biggest factor in a countries demise is it's institutions being powerless.

Make it as hard as you want, but in the end it's only a piece of paper and if the President has a rubber stamp legislature for show, they'll either change it anyway or trigger a referendum the President mysteriously wins with 108% of the vote.

Ultimately, you have to have strong democratic institutions that keep each other in check, otherwise again, the constitution is nothing but a piece of paper.
 
Masterhawk said:
Gambia's president of 22 years has finally lost an election and he will step down peacefully. Said president has been accused of rigging elections and being a fanatic in general. Earlier this year, the Ivory Coast held its first peaceful election in 22 years and a new president stepped into power (even though he was the former dictator of Nigeria). Unfortunately, not all countries have made progress. For example, Joseph Kabilla, president of the DRC, has decided to conduct a census to delay the election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/world/africa/gambia-election.html?_r=0

It would be wise for Gambia to establish term limits and make it difficult to amend the constitution.
Click to expand...

My problem with the president-elect is his recent interview, where he confirmed that future investigations into the incumbent might be conducted. The threat of prosecution is the main contributor to strongmen staying in power, without assurances Jammeh might feel pressured to remain in his post. You could see an example of this in Trump's victory speech, where he praised Clinton on her hard work and thanked her for her service. He reneged on his promise to prosecute Clinton, possibly to avoid splitting the country in half.

Let's hope the president-elect can provide some assurances to the incumbent president so things transition smoothly. Gambia is not a mature democracy.
 
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