• The subject assumes an inability in Africa to manage democratic institutions, but there are a number of success stories, so it is unwise to lump all of Africa together as unable to manage democratic institutions. For example, Sierra Leone has organized very good elections and there are good practices that can be learned from them, and in some cases, corruption and the lack of business ethics contribute to the inability to manage institutions. So there is no general picture about the status of democratic institutions in Africa.
• There is a tendency for human rights and democracyactivists to emphasize problems but not accomplishments. There are, of course, problems to be solved, but there are also success stories that should be highlighted. The electoral process has not failed in Sierra Leone and Senegal; Nigeria is a good example of how energy and determination has been devoted to protecting democracy; there are also regions in the world where the situation is worse than in Africa. So we should stop talking up the problems and give ourselves a pat on the back for the successes. Democratic systems are notperfect anywhere, and we should be aware that solutions to problems evolve and take time. For many years, African countries did not even think of themselves as individual countries, since nationhood was lacking. Imperfection is something that we should work on, but not something over which to despair.
• Some participants argued that any subversion of the electoral processes should be a crime against humanity, and that violators of such processes should be brought to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. However, other participants disagreed because of the nature of elections. It was pointed out, for instance, that the conduct of elections is often assisted by international experts, and that the people are often excluded from the electoral process. This makes it extremely difficult to make a strong legal case of a crime against humanity.

• There is an international law on the conduct of elections, and Article 25 of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) addresses electoral processes.  It is important, therefore, for our democracies to ensure that free choices do not undermine, or are not perceived to be biased in favor of, whichever parties or individuals win.
• The composition of an electoral commission should represent a country’s ethnic and geographic balance, because conducting elections is a very sensitive issue. The Ivory Coast is an example in which an election led to the eruption of violence, and the impact has created political instability, since the electoral commission is not representative in the country.
• The government should not attempt to control the electoral process, since in many instances the government reacts with great force.
• Ethnicity is becoming a bigger factor in Africa, and is thus connected to the issue of elections and must be addressed in a positive way.
• Governments tend to suppress the media, so it must be defended.
• Lack of investment in a country leads to unemployment, which affects the ability to sustain democratic institutions.
• Once elections are mismanaged there is a great tendency for crimes to be committed, and this compromises people’s safety.  There is thus a question as to whether electoral laws in each country should address post-election violence as crimes against humanity.
• The major threat to democratic institutions is not weak civil leadership, but weak security sectors because they are often politicized and personalized, and the personnel badly trained. Security sectors should thus be improved and professionalized.
• Citizens oftenget concerned that elections will lead to a breakdown of law and order. It is therefore important to strengthen civil society groups and organizations in African countries. If civil society is very weak there is no foundation to support democratic processes. There is no need to appeal immediately to regional bodies to address violations of election standards; we should first look to domestic remedies.
• It is very important to recognize that there are local solutions to local problems, and that each country is different. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been able to put some pressure on governments to respect democratic processes, but in Kenya, for instance, the government was impervious to pressure from regional bodies.
• Many African leaders don’t want to hear about democracy because they come from backgrounds of being chiefs, so they feel that they have a rightto succeed themselves.

• As Sub-Saharan Africans, we often do not understand the issues in North Africa.
• Lack of freedom of association, expression, and press is a major challenge.
• There is mismanagement of electoral processes.
• There is a need to move beyond the mechanics of elections.
• Elections are not issues-based or nationalism-based, but ethnic-based.
• There are too many expectations from states.
• There is insufficient participation among youth.

• Insist on participatory democracy in all of its aspects, not just elections.
• Regional electoral commissions should be established.
• Citizens should control elections by advocating for electoral reforms, being educated about the electoral process and candidates’ positions on various issues, encouraging healthy debates among candidates, and organizing domestic monitoring.
• There should be early warning systems regarding elections-related violence.
• Civic education should be enhanced.
• There should be greater socio-economic empowerment.
• Put an end to “negotiated” democracy through which political parties conveniently agree to power-sharing arrangements, as we have seen in Kenya and Zimbabwe in 2008.
• Create face-saving ways for leaders to step down, including pension schemes.
• There should be stronger media coverage focused on African realities.

• There is instability due to military coups.
• There are high levels of poverty in West African populations.
• There is a strong trend toward identity politics—ethnic and regional—and an abuse of human rights by security sectors.
• There is a serious lack of political awareness.
• There ispolitical and religious extremism.

• Engage in massive political education for civil society.
• Reform or, in some countries, transform security sectors.
• Enforce anti-corruption laws.
• Protect human rights defenders.
• Increase advocacy for governmental accountability.

• Cabinet institutions are often politicized.
• SADC itself is a problem because it lacks democratic institutions.

• Increase active participation in political processes.
• Mobilize grassroots support for political reforms.
• Provide civic education for all.
• Sorting out electoral-related issues should be a priority.
• Ratification of the Democracy Charter by a sufficient number of countries should be a priority.

International electoral standards should be developed and applied in the sub-region.