Spectrum of Democracy in Select African Countries
Spectrum of Democracy in Select African Countries
Bizuneh Daniel
Comparative Politics
Dr. Lawrence Adams
April 27, 2015
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Spectrum of Democracy in Select African Countries
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Definition of Democracy
We talk about many countries in the world starting to become more democratized and
the benefits that come with it. But how do we define democracy or a democratic nation and
what are its values? A country is considered democratic if and only if the governed people of
that country have a choice to determine the decisions made by the government (Greenberg
and Page, 2012, p. 4). Democracy has gained much popularity and recognition with many
people of the world since it enables them to rule themselves and protect their civil liberties
and political rights. Democratic governments progress the idea of civil liberties because
ordinary citizens make sure that their human rights are bring protected by the government
and they can do this because they have rights granted to them by the government to be active
in politics. Representatives chosen by citizens support their civil liberties and political rights
since they gained their power from them which makes them responsible for them. The
presence of civil liberties and political rights in a democratic government allows the country
to become more stable which would lead to increased economic growth. Democratization is
one of the pressing problems facing newly emerging African countries since most of them
were created recently after the end of colonization.
What is considered a Democratic State?
Democracy can vary across different countries since the social, economic, and
political state of each is not the same. However, there are some necessities of a democracy
that most political scientists agree upon. “1) Almost all adult citizens have the right to vote;
2) almost all adult citizens are eligible for public office; 3) political leaders have the right to
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compete for votes; 4) elections are free and fair; 5) all citizens are free to form and join
political parties and other organizations; 6) all citizens are free to express themselves on all
political issues; 7) diverse sources of information about politics exist and are protected by
law; and 8) government policies depend on votes and other expressions of preference.”
(Beetham, 1994, p.7) If a country fulfills these requirements and puts them into action, then
it can be described as a democratic country.
Botswana
The first African country I chose was the Republic of Botswana found in Southern
Africa. Freedom House has given this African nation a freedom status of free from 1998 to
2014 and a freedom rating of 2.0 in 1998 but has increased to 2.5 in 2014 on a scale of 1-10
with 1 being best freedom rating and 10 being worst. Civil liberty rating has stayed constant
thought the years earning a 2 on the scale but political right rating has increased from 2.0 in
1998 to 3.0 in 2014. (Freedom in the World 1998; Freedom in the World2014)
Political Rights
The current president of Botswana is Seretse Khama Ian Khama, son of the first
president, who gained office after former president Festus Mogae left the presidency prior to
the end of his term in 2008. The BDP has received criticism in that it is tampering with
democratic procedures by forcing a president to retire so that another of the same party can
take his place without conducting an election. However, free and fair elections observed in
the 2009 elections helped Kharma retain his presidency. Pluralism is not really observed as
the BDP has held power since the country’s independence and has undermined opposition
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parties. The Tswana ethnic group, which makes up 79% of the population, holds all political
authority and have subdued other minority groups, mainly the San ethnic group, from
political participation. Botswana is considered one of the least corrupt countries in Africa
which also has a fair and free court system. (Freedom in the World 2014)
Civil Liberties
Botswana received 13 out of 16 for freedom of expression and belief because of the
presence of free and uncontrolled press despite it being biased to the ruling party Botswana
Democratic Party (BDP), which has been in power since its dependence in 1966. Freedom of
religion is guaranteed to every Botswana citizen that is predominantly Christian. Citizens are
allowed to voice their opinions in their form of organizational groups such as human right
groups but the government sometimes restricts labor unions the power to bargain for wages
which has led to the government 2,600 health workers in strike in 2012. Women are given
equal power under the constitution but are underrepresented in government and only 8% of
women won seat in parliament during the 2009 elections. Xenophobia is increasing in the
country because of an increase in immigration from Zimbabwe and the government has taken
policies to minimize immigration. (Freedom in the World 2014)
Cause of Democratization
The increased democratization of Botswana can be explained by the modernization
theory, which claims more democratization would occur with broad social changes and
economic development. (Dickovick and Eastwood, 2012, p.123) Economic development led
the primary role in democratization because Botswana had the highest average economic
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growth rate in the world ever since its independence, which has brought about improvement
in living standards. Increase living standards would bring a rise in the middle class which is
an indicator of economic progress in a country. The increasing middle class would demand
more political rights and civil liberties enhancing democratization in the country. (Freedom
in the World 2014)
Kenya
My second African country choice is the Republic of Kenya found in Eastern Africa.
The Freedom House gave Kenya a freedom status of Not Free in 1998 which has improved
to Partly Free in 2014. In 1998, Freedom House gave Kenya 5.5 freedom rating, 5 civil
liberties rating, and 6 political rights rating. The country went through minor improvements
since then and as of 2014, it has a 4.0 freedom rating, 4 civil liberties rating, and 6 political
rights rating. (Freedom in the World 1998; Freedom in the World2014)
Civil Liberties
The newly formed 2010 constitution changed the electoral process in the country by
changing the requirements for presidency and deputy presidency, requiring 47 special
women representatives for the National Assembly out of 349 elected members, and also
requiring 16 special women representatives, 2 representatives for youth, and 2
representatives for youth for the Senate out of 67 elected members. This was intended to
increase political power to previously oppressed or politically inactive members of Kenyan
society. The constitution protects the press and media from government scrutiny but
journalists seeking to report on corruption in the government are persecuted and censored on
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conducting investigation on recent terrorist attacks from Al-Shabaab. (Freedom in the World
2014)
Political Rights
The new constitution was first implemented during the 2013 elections resulted in the
Jubilee coalition winning the majority of the seats and elected Uhuru Kenyatta as their
president, son of the first Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta. Most political parties are ethnic
based and form coalitions with other political parties of similar ethnicity to influence
coalitions. Although the new constitution attempts to address this problem by using the
Political Party Act which requires each party to have a minimum of 1,000 members to be
considered a party, coalitions based on ethnicity still exist. Like other Africa countries,
Kenya suffers a problem with corruption and scandals in the government are common.
(Freedom in the World 2014)
Cause of Democratization
Kenya’s democratization can also be attributed to the modernization theory which
saw a rise in its economic development due to an increase in the tourism industry. Exports
also increased in the country led by agricultural products, such as tea, coffee and other
horticulture products. This increased the wealth of the nation and brought about a rise in the
middle class, an indicator of increased democratization in a country. (Freedom in the World
2014)
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Djibouti
Third is the Republic of Djibouti, located on the North Eastern Coast of the African
continent. Djibouti has received a freedom rating From the Freedom House of Not Free in
1998 which improved to Partly Free in 1999 but the country’s rating deteriorated back to Not
Free in 2011 due to constitutional changes which allowed the President Ismael Omar Guelleh
to run for a third term. The ratings for Djibouti by the Freedom House are as follows
throughout the years: 5.5 freedom (F), 6 civil liberties (CL), and 5 political rights (PL) in
1998; 5.0 F, 6 CL, and 4 PL in 1999; 5.5 F, 5 CL, and 5 PL in 2011; and 5.5 F, 6 CL, and 5
PL in 2014. (Freedom in the World 1998; Freedom in the World 1999; Freedom in the World
2011; Freedom in the World 2014)
Political Rights
Changes in the constitution in 2010 eliminated the two term limit of the president but
lowered the presidential term from six to five years. These changes allowed President
Guelleh to remain president for a third term and led the Issa Somali ethnic party Union for a
Presidential Party (UMP) to win most of the seats in the unicameral legislature called the
National Assembly. The UMP has suppressed other political parties but the party coalition
Union for National Salvation (UNS) had attempted to win seats the legislative election and
had initially won 55 but was later reduced to 10 by the UMP. Protests arose in the capital,
Djibouti, which led to harsh resistance by the police resulting in the 500 arrested and 6 dead.
(Freedom in the World 2014)
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Civil Liberties
The press is controlled by the UMP but other political parties are allowed to print
papers and advertise themselves on television. However, leaders of journalist for opposition
parties have been regularly imprisoned or sent into exile. Most of the country is Sunni
Muslim and therefore religious rights are guaranteed. Organized protests against the
government tend to be violently suppressed and get dispersed by the police. (Freedom in the
World 2014)
Cause of Authorization
Djibouti hasn’t advanced to become a democratic nation ever since its independence
but is rather close to an authoritarian regime. This can be explained by the Historical
Institutionalist theories, specifically the theory that progression into democratic state is being
denied by certain groups which are afraid they would lose their special treatment (Dickovick
and Eastwood, 2012, p.153). This certain group in the case of Djibouti is the majority ethnic
group of Issa Somali, which consist of 60% of the population and hold all the political and
economic power in the country. (Freedom in the World 2014)
Ethiopia
My fourth African country is the Federal Republic of Ethiopia found in Eastern
Africa. Freedom House has recently given the country a freedom status of Not Free in 2015
with a freedom rating of 6.0, civil liberties of 6, and political rights of 6. (Freedom in the
World 2015)
Spectrum of Democracy in Select African Countries
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Political Rights
After the Derg communist regime fell in 1991, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF) came into power promising democratization and economic
growth in the country. In its initial stage, the party showed much progress by forming a
bicameral parliament with a House of Representatives and House of Federation, and
introducing various reforms that led to economic growth. But legislature election that
occurred in 2005 and 2010 were dominated by intimidation of opposition parties and
censoring the media which led the EPRDF to retain most of its seats. Members of opposition
supports were detained and meetings were disrupted. Followers of opposition parties were
either also detained or threatened with losing jobs and homes. As a result, in 2010,
opposition parties were only able to gain 2 out of 547 seats in parliament. The next elections
are coming up in May 2015 with many expecting the EPRDF to win another victory but
expect clashes with armed opposition groups such as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), and
Somali Liberation Front (SLF) and also spreading rumors of ISIS extremists present in the
country. Political parties in Ethiopia are based on ethnic regions primarily due to the
resistance of EPRDF consisting primarily of the minority Tigray ethnic people, and the
presence of ethno federalism, which is the separation of states based on ethnicities found in
it. The constitution supports the secession of states from the country but the EPRDF has
retaliated against secessionist groups primarily in Ogaden (Somalia) and Oromia regions.
Ethiopia is plagued by corruption and the Transparency International’s 2014 Corruption
Perceptions Index ranked it 110 out of 175 countries based on corruptness. (Freedom in the
World 2005; Freedom in the World 2010; Freedom in the World 2015)
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Civil Liberties
The government owns all the media sources, including television and major
newspapers and doesn’t allow opposition parties to voice their opinions through the media.
Journalists are continually detained and arrested or some flee to other countries in exile.
Ethiopia ranks 176 out of 197 countries based on a report from Freedom of the Press.
Individual rights are mostly guaranteed to specific ethnicities which hold political and/or
economical rights, but those who oppose the government face scrutiny. Women relatively
receive a lot of freedom and many hold seats in parliament. (Freedom in the World 2015)
Cause of Authorization
Similar to Djibouti, the presence of an authoritarian state in Ethiopia is because of a
certain group wanting to receive special treatment and the fear of a democratic state would
deprive them of that (Dickovick and Eastwood, 2012, p.153). In this case, the Ethiopian
government is predominantly Tigray, a small ethnic group which consists of only 6.1% of the
Ethiopian population. However, they have held all of the political and economic power in the
country ever since they gained power after the fall of the Derg communist regime. They
minimize the influence of democratization because that would bring about a loss of their
privileges. (Freedom in the World 2015)
Ghana
My final African country is the Republic of Ghana which has been given a significant
change in its democratic state by the Freedom House. In 1998, Ghana had a freedom status of
Partly Free with a 3.0 freedom rating, 3 civil liberties rating, and 3 political rights rating, but
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in 2000, after free and fair presidential election that led to a peaceful transition of power
from Jerry Rawlings to John Kufour, which improved the freedom status in 2001 to a
freedom status of Free with 2.5 freedom rating, 3 civil liberties rating, and 3 political rights
rating. Ever since then, Ghana is experiencing positive ratings by the Freedom House.
Further improvements, such as the increase in the freedom of press, respect of human rights,
the rule of law. This has given Ghana an increased freedom rating of 1.5, civil liberties of 2,
and political rights of 1 in 2014. (Freedom in the World1998; Freedom in the World 2001;
Freedom in the World 2014)
Political Rights
Ghana has a multiple political party system that compete in free and fair elections for
the unicameral legislature, even though the politics is dominated by two parties: the National
Political Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Corruption still exists in
the country and Ghana was ranked 63 out of 177 countries in a 2013 Corruption Perceptions
Index published by Transparency International. (Freedom in the World 2014)
Civil Liberties
All media is privately owned and government rarely restricts journalists on
broadcasting on certain topics. Religious freedom is guaranteed and protected for every
citizen. Ghanaians are allowed to have peaceful assemblies and demonstration without the
requirement of a permit. The judiciary branch is impartial and is not pressured by political
groups. Women are still discriminated against but that is now decreasing as more women
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enter into the education system and have high ranking roles in society with 30 on the
parliament out of 275 seats. (Freedom in the World 2014)
Democratization in Ghana
The Modernization Theory can be used to explain the increasing trend of
democratization in Ghana. It has seen economic development with fast-growing GDP
because of increased oil and natural gas production, improving industrial production, and
improving agricultural sector (Ghana Economic Outlook, 2014). Increased economic growth
brings about a rise in the middle class which has progressed civil liberties and political rights
in the country.
Conclusion
All these African countries, with the exception of Ethiopia, are newly formed
countries which gained independence from European colonizers. These new states lack the
experience of forming a well-functioning system, so they go through various
democratic/authoritarian phases until they reach a stable state. Due to their youngness, they
serve as a perfect case study subjects for the spread of democratization and authorization by
comparative politicians. Of my chosen countries, Botswana, Kenya, and Ghana have
followed a democratic path and have been given a freedom status of Free and Partly Free
respectively by the Freedom House. The cause of democratization in both of these countries
according to the Modernization Theory is because of economic development which has
brought about political stability characterized by increase in political rights and civil
liberties. On the other end, Djibouti and Ethiopia follow an authoritarian form of state which
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can be explained Historical Institutionalist Theories in that certain groups wanting special
privileges control power in the country. In both these countries, ethnicity plays a role since a
certain ethnic group controls the government and thus holds most economic and political
power in each country.
Spectrum of Democracy in Select African Countries
Works Cited
1. Beetham, David. Defining and Measuring Democracy. London: Sage Publications,
1994. Print.
2. Dickovick, James Tyler, and Jonathan Eastwood. Comparative Politics: Integrating
Theories, Methods, and Cases. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2013. Print.
3. "Freedom in the World 1998." Freedom House. 1998. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
4. "Freedom in the World 1999." Freedom House. 1999. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
5. "Freedom in the World 2001." Freedom House. 2001. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
6. "Freedom in the World 2011." Freedom House. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
7. "Freedom in the World 2014." Freedom House. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
8. "Freedom in the World 2015." Freedom House. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
9. "Ghana Economic Outlook." African Development Bank Group. African Economic
Outlook 2014, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/westafrica/ghana/ghana-economic-outlook/>.
10. Greenberg, Edward S., and Benjamin I. Page. The Struggle for Democracy, 2012
Election Edition. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print.
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