Political transition to democracy : the role of the security sector and regional economic communities in Zimbabwe and Cote d'ivoire's democratic puzzle
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
African Security Review
Publication Date
6-24-2014
Volume
23
Issue
3
First Page
295
Last Page
306
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Keywords
Cote d'Ivoire, democratisation, elections, multinational institutions, political transition, security sector, Zimbabwe
Abstract
This paper argues that the crisis of electoral democracy in Zimbabwe and Cote d'Ivoire is a result of underlying structural and institutional deficiencies within national and regional multinational institutions. It assesses the extent to which they have been ‘enablers’ or ‘spoilers’ of electoral-based transitions to democracy. Yet it avoids generalisations of the security sector's involvement in political transitions. In terms of structure, the paper is divided into four sections. Section one will briefly discuss the theoretical perspectives of the election-democracy trajectory. It argues that although elections are a major variable for democracy, unless the ‘ecology of elections’ is conducive, elections may not be an instrument of transition to democracy. The second section analyses the militarisation of politics and the role of the security sector in aiding or stalling democratisation. Section three will assess the role of regional organisations such as the Southern African Development Community, Economic Community of West African States and the African Union in electoral-based political transitions in Africa. Lastly, the paper will discuss how the security sector and multinational African institutions can aid political transitions to democracy in troubled African countries.
DOI
10.1080/10246029.2014.925483
Print ISSN
10246029
E-ISSN
21540128
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2014 Institute for Security Studies. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Hodzi, O. (2014). Political transition to democracy: The role of the security sector and regional economic communities in Zimbabwe and Cote d'Ivoire's democratic puzzle. African Security Review, 23(3), 295-306. doi: 10.1080/10246029.2014.925483