Most Africans prefer democracy to any other system of government – Afrobarometer

The Afrobarometer report has stated most Africans prefer democracy to any other system of government and reject non-democratic alternatives, including military rule.

The report says they also strongly endorse norms, institutions, and practices associated with democratic governance, such as choosing political leaders through the ballot box, constitutional limits on presidential tenure, presidential compliance with court rulings, parliamentary oversight of the executive, media freedom, and multiparty competition.

Remarkably for a continent with huge gaps in government services, the report said a clear – and growing – majority say it is more important for a government to be accountable to the people than to “get things done.”

“Other trends portend danger for the continent’s democratic development. Over the past decade, popular support for democracy has declined sharply in several countries,
including Mali, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Namibia, and Guinea. Opposition to military rule has weakened: half of Africans express a willingness to tolerate military intervention ‘when elected leaders abuse power for their own ends,’ even though two-thirds reject institutionalised military rule. While Africa’s youth differ little from their elders in their
support for democracy, they express a greater willingness to tolerate military intervention.
If indicators of popular support for democracy offer reasons for both optimism and concern, Africa’s perceived supply of democracy continues to lag behind its citizens’ aspirations, and people are increasingly dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their countries. Indicators of democratic and accountable governance delivered by elected leaders have either been declining over time, as in the case of presidential respect for the courts and Parliament, or have remained stagnant at very low levels, as in the case of equal
treatment before the law.

“What is driving these trends? Analysis of Afrobarometer data shows that while popular satisfaction with democracy is highly susceptible to economic, social, and political
performance, support for democracy is resilient against economic factors such as poverty and poor economic management. Instead, the evidence points to political factors,
including rising corruption in local government, poor-quality elections, and a lack of presidential accountability, as factors that tend to undermine popular faith in democracy.”