Against All Odds: Strong Democratic Norms in the African Union

Abstract

For decades, non-interference in state affairs had characterized politics in the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and was a cornerstone of inter-African relations (Williams 2007). Against this historical backdrop it is remarkable that the obligation to reject unconstitutional change of government (UCG) in member states of the OAU’s successor, the African Union (AU), has become part of the AU’s identity by integrating it in its Constitutive Act (CA) in 2002 (African Union 2000).3 Moreover, member states have embedded UCG in a discourse on democratic governance and perceive it as an obstacle to democratic progress on the continent. By referring to its member states’ constitutional order and demanding democratic governance, the Charter of the AU touches African political regimes at their core.