ABSTRACT
Within the current democratization discourse, it is hard to envisage democracy without elections, although it is not hard to come across elections without democracy. However, many pseudo-democratic elections are precisely becoming contemporary political currency in many deeply divided ethnic societies. Increasingly electoral observers have argued that elections in such countries are hardly meaningful in terms of being able to advance the democratic ethos. Yet the real dilemma is when the nature of political competition and power distribution are not only defined but also threatened by ethnic dynamics. When, then, can elections count as a legitimate vehicle of the democratization process? Rwanda’s experience with elections presents another theoretical and empirical window into the efficacy of elections in the transitional politics of deeply divided ethnic societies.
