Electoral reform in Nigeria, now?
In Nigeria, the Domestic Election Observation Group has harshly criticized the recent elections and called them illegimate.The Daily Trust (Abuja) printed the report of the group and its recommendations.
I'd ask my students to evaluate the group's judgments about the election (What is required for legitimacy?) and to critique the recommendations (Will they create a legitimate system?).
Nigeria: An Election Programmed to Fail - Domestic Observers
"Civil society organizations in Nigeria, under the banner of the Domestic Election Observation Group, observed the Presidential and National Assembly Elections held on Saturday, April 21, 2007. The organizations, which include the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Labour Election Monitoring Team (LEMT), the Citizens Forum for Constitutional Reform (CFCR), the Electoral Reform Network (ERN), Muslim League for Accountability (MULAC), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE-Nigeria) deployed approximately 50,000 trained election monitors throughout the country.
"Our monitors throughout the country noted and documented numerous lapses, massive irregularities and electoral malpractices that characterized the elections in many states. Based on the widespread and far-reaching nature of these lapses, irregularities and electoral malpractices, we have come to the conclusion that on the whole, the elections were a charade and did not meet the minimum standards required for democratic elections...
"Despite the chaotic, troubled electoral process, what unites all Nigerians and the entire international community is the very strong belief that the problems that beset Nigeria and its elections should be resolved by legal and political means..."
posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:35 AM
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