International Election Observer Missions and the Promotion of Democracy

Some Lessons from Nigeria's 2007 Elections

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7974463
AutoresCyril I Obi, I Cyril (autor correspondente)
Ano2008
Volume35
Fascículo1
Páginas69-86
Data de publicação2008-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPolitikon (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0258-9346 • E-ISSN: 1470-1014
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02589340802113089
OpenAlexW1970592957
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas25

This article explores the politics and policies that underpin election observation and monitoring, particularly as they relate to international assistance for democracy-building and post-conflict elections. Central to this is the nature of election observation, its linkages with democracy-building, and a critical evaluation of its effectiveness as a contributory factor in advancing the democratic project in Africa. The paper draws upon the case of the April 2007 elections in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and largest oil exporter, that were widely held by international observers and local election monitors to be deeply flawed, but were upheld by the government without any international sanctions/reprisals. The paper attempts to illustrate some of the difficulties and contradictions that are embedded in the election observer mission ‘industry’ as a tool of the international community for providing legitimacy for the conduct of free and fair elections, but which in some cases result in ‘acceptable’ outcomes that are neither fully free nor fair. Notes An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Conference of the Swedish Network of Peace, Conflict and Development Research, Uppsala, 23–24 October 2007. 1. Huntington Citation(1991). Also see Bratton and van de Walle Citation(1997). 2. Ihonvbere Citation(1996). Also see Ihonvbere Citation(2006). 3. Bjornlund et al. (Citation2007, pp. 64–84). 4. Bjornlund et al. (Citation1992, p. 407). 5. Ibid. 6. Abbink (Citation2000, p. 4). 7. Carothers Citation(1997). Abbink (Citation2000, p. 8), op. cit. 8. Geisler (Citation1993, p. 613). 9. Geisler (Citation1994, pp. 69–74). 10. Carothers (Citation1997, pp. 21–26), op. cit. 11. Laakso Citation(2000). 12. Dorman (Citation2005, p. 171). 13. Laakso Citation(2000), op. cit. 14. Anglin Citation(1998). 15. Geisler (Citation1993, p. 617), op. cit. 16. Anglin (Citation1998, p. 471), op. cit. 17. Daniel and Southall (Citation1999, p. 52). 18. EU EOM (Citation(2007), p. 4). 19. Ake (Citation1993, p. 239). 20. Robinson (Citation2006, pp. 96–119). 21. Adejumobi Citation(2000). 22. Ibid. 23. Schedler Citation(2002). 24. Ibid. (p. 118). 25. Ake Citation(1993), op. cit. 26. Lindberg Citation(2003). 27. Lindberg (Citation2006a, p. 139). Also see Lindberg (Citation2004, Citation2006b). 28. See debate between Thomas Carothers (Citation2002a, Citationb) and Guillermo O' Donnell Citation(2002). 29. Lewis (Citation2003, p. 131). 30. Agbaje and Adejumobi Citation(2006). 31. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and exporter, placing the state in control of immense petro-dollars. 32. Ibrahim (Citation2007, p. 3). 33. Obi (Citation2007a, p. 67, Citation2007b). 34. von Kemedi (Citation2006, p. 14). 35. Carter Center (1999). Also see Kew (Citation1999, pp. 29–33). 36. Kohnert (Citation2004, p. 86). 37. EU EOM Citation(2003). 38. Human Rights Watch Citation(2003). 39. Human Rights Watch (Citation2007b, p. 12). 40. EU EOM (Citation2007, p. 1), op. cit.; Statement of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) Citation(2007); International Republican Institute Citation(2007); BBC News; Commonwealth Secretariat Citation(2007); Domestic Election Monitoring Group Citation(2007); Human Rights Watch Citation(2007b). 41. Made up of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Federation of Moslem Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Labour Monitoring Team (LEMT), Women Environmental Programme (WEP) and Moslem League for Accountability (MULAC). 42. Obayuwana and Asubiojo Citation(2007). 43. EU EOM (Citation2007, pp. 35–41), op. cit. 44. Olaniyi Citation(2007). 45. Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition Statement on the Nigerian 2007 Elections, http://www.greenlightnigeria.org 46. EU EOM (Citation2007, p. 41), op. cit. 47. Rawlence and Albin-Lackey (Citation2007, p. 499). 48. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Citation(2007). Also see Casey Citation(2007) and Declaration by the Presidency on Behalf of the EU on the Elections in Nigeria Citation(2007). Also see Statement of the Government of the Republic of South Africa Congratulating Hon. Alhaji Umaru Yar ‘Adua on His Election as President Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Citation(2007). 49. Casey Citation(2007), op. cit. 50. Fabiyi (Citation2007, pp. 30–33). 51. ‘Nigerian President Pledges Commitment to Electoral Reform’, Voice of America News (VOA), September 2007, http://www.voanews.com/english/ 52. Speech by His Excellency, President Umaru Musa Yar' Adua, GCFR at .000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (2007). 53. Carothers (2002), op. cit., p. 9. 54. Herkovits Citation(2007). 55. Bittiger Citation(2005). 56. Roth (Citation2008, p. 17). 57. Ibid. 58. Ibid. Additional informationNotes on contributorsCyril I. Obi *Programme Coordinator, Post-Conflict Transition, the State and Civil Society in Africa, Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala. Email: [email protected]

Citation · Democracy · Government (linguistics · International community · Legitimacy · Political science · Politics · Sanctions · Sociology · International Development and Aid · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Public Administration · Religion, Society, and Development