ABSTRACT
In assessing the prospects for the consolidation of democracy in Africa, it is necessary to take an unromantic and pragmatic view as to what type of system might be consolidated, how widespead a phenomenon this might be, and the degree of ‘permanence’ which consolidation might imply. The idea that all or most African states will create perfectly functioning democracies which will survive indefinitely is too improbable to warrant serious consideration-however much one might wish it were otherwise. We suggest that a realistic notion of what type of democracy might be evolving in Africa has to be found much closer to the minimalist end of the spectrum than to the more ambitious maximalist end. This judgement is not intended to indicate what system African states ‘ought’ to have, but rather what it may be practicable to achieve. Such a minimalist system of democracy would involve public contestation for public power (almost inevitably between competing political parties), in which a universally enfranchised citizenry would make their choice through a regular electoral process which was free from serious malpractice. For such a system to operate in a meaningful fashion, it would be necessary to maintain the level of freedom of association and expression required to permit the unhindered formation, not only of alternative political parties but also of the other societal groups which constitute a civil society. An additional component of this system would be the operation of the rule of law, with a judiciary free from government control and able to check abuses and the use of arbitrary power from whatever source. In the real world, the operation of such a system will inevitably be flawed, and the best that can be expected empirically is a rather rough and ready version. To those who object that this would constitute a ‘merely’ procedural form of democracy, it may be pointed out that it would represent a marked improvement on the level of democracy that most African states have hitherto experienced.
