12. Passage 4: Read the passage and answer the questions No. 89-94
In recent years, there has been a new wave of democratization process globally and the African continent is witnessing a new drive towards the promotion of democracy and good governance. From the North, to the East, South and West of Africa, authoritarian regimes are giving way to democratic governments. The new drive towards democracy and good governance is contently sweeping through Africa like a wild bushfire and many African countries recently transitioned from authoritarian to democratic forms of governance in consonance with the global trend. Elections have been an integral part of the democratization process globally as they are an institutionalized attempt at actualizing the essence of democracy, that is, rule of the people, by the people, and for the people. However, many of Africa's democratic elections have been marred with extreme controversy and violence. Compton, massive rigging, ballot box snatching and political violence, and the winner takes all syndrome has impacted negatively on the democratic process.
In many African countries, violent protests mark the proclamation of election results. Peaceful handover to opposition parties by the ruling party is rare, while many rulers have become life presidents. There is a general apathy of the electorate to elections as a majority of the people especially those in the rural areas view the state as having little or no relevance to them. This is resultant from the failure of the state to provide social security or any form of social citizenship and has thus alienated a majority of the populace. Commified to the promotion of the universal values and principles of democracy, good governance, human rights and the right to development and determined to promote and strengthen good governance through the institutionalization of transparency, accountability and participatory democracy, the African Union adopted the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (the Charter). The African Union has worked towards achieving credible, free and fair elections for sustainable democratic governance. But in spite of the Charter, the ideals of democratic conceft have been continually flouted by most African states without appropriate sanctions by the African Union.
[Oluwakemi Ayanleye, 'Elections as a Tool of Democratization in Africa', International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2014]
The author sees democracy and good governance in Africa as part of a: (University of Hyderabad MA 2019)
