“Democracy is not just a question of having a vote. It consists of strengthening each citizen’s possibility and capacity to participate in the deliberations involved in life in society.” Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Political Scientist, and Former President of Brazil As Ethiopia’s June 1st national election looms, the country continues to preserve the formal structures of electoral democracy while steadily weakening the substantive conditions that give elections democratic meaning and legitimacy. At this hour, electoral institutions remain in place and preparations for voting continue, yet conflict, shrinking civic space, widespread human rights concerns and constrained political competition are reshaping the environment […]
The post Redefining ‘Free and Fair’: Ethiopia’s Election and Electoral Legitimacy appeared first on African Arguments.
Redefining ‘Free and Fair’: Ethiopia’s Election and Electoral Legitimacy
“Democracy is not just a question of having a vote. It consists of strengthening each citizen’s possibility and capacity to participate in the deliberations involved in life in society.” Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Political Scientist, and Former President of Brazil As Ethiopia’s June 1st national election looms, the country continues to preserve the formal structures of electoral democracy
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