Election systems and political parties in post-conflict and fragile states

The dramatic global expansion of democracy and the growing acceptance of interventions to support democratic reform over the past twenty years have led to an extraordinary focus on the institution of elections. In countries around the world, elections have served to help resolve long-standing conflicts and to initiate or consolidate transitions to democracy. For states recovering from recent conflict, elections and other political arrangements are typically central to peace agreements. Fair elections have become an increasingly critical requirement for governments to have legitimacy in the eyes of the international community and their own citizens. Electoral legitimacy and outcomes, in turn, greatly affect the prospects for effective governance.