The implementation of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance

Abstract

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Eastern Europe's totalitarian regimes, a consensus seems to have emerged, worldwide, for the introduction of new standards into international standards, commonly called 'democratic clauses'. The aim of these clauses is to promote the emergence of and contribute to the development of states based on respect for certain democratic principles in the world, particularly in Africa. However, the impact of these standards and principles seems to have been relatively limited. As a continent which, in 45 years, has experienced almost 85 coups d'etat, as well as one-party regimes, states hooked into the 'sacrosanct' principle of non-interference in internal affairs, dictatorships known as among the worst in the world, and which was the theatre, between 1963 and 1998, of nearly 26 armed conflicts which affected about 61 per cent of its population, Africa urgently needed to call on these standards and principles in order to promote the return to peace, security and stability in certain of its regions.