Abstract
This article explores the extent to which the Af ri can Union (AU)'s democracy promotion principles and mecha nisms actually deepen a democratic ethos consistent with the quest for sustainable peace on the continent. It addresses several overarching questions: to what extent are the AU's principles and norms for promoting democratic governance shaped by the liberal democratic paradigm? Do such liberal approaches ade quately form a solid basis for understanding and addressing the complex his tori cal, po liti cal and social economic challenges facing the democratic project in Africa? If it has not, where are the gaps and how can these be explained and addressed? The article argues that the AU's approach to democratic governance has been largely influenced by the liberal paradigm, which hardly addresses the complex po liti cal realities on the ground or the radical ideals expressed in the Constitutive Act of the AU. It calls for a new discourse of Af ri can democratic think ing in ways that transcend the gaps inherent in elitist forms of democracy, paving the way for a people rooted po liti cal project based on inclusion, unity, social transformation, and partici patory democratic governance.
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