After losing the election, Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi the candidate for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, conceded defeat, expressing faith in the democratic processes and pleading to respect the will of the people.
Watching that come from a man who had the misfortune to lead a party that has been at the helm of Botswana for the past 58 years into its first loss, one could not help a surge of envy for the maturity and integrity of the country’s electoral system.
The developments in Botswana bring into sharp focus the runup to Tanzania’s civic elections, which are due in three weeks. Tanzania held its first multiparty elections three decades ago to much optimism about the country’s democratic prospects.
Like a majority of its African peers, however, that appeared to have been the high point and subsequent years have witnessed gradual erosion of electoral integrity.
This particular electoral cycle, which will conclude with presidential polls next October, has been of particular concern, characterised by queries around transparency, inclusiveness and fairness of the process.
Serious reservations have been expressed about voter registration, with reports of opposition supporters and candidates facing obstacles in getting registered to vote and participate in elections. Opposition candidates have faced hurdles to access the electorate through campaigns.
Jarring incidents of opposition candidates facing harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests by authorities, have been reported, with local officials and security forces turning themselves into election police.
Questions have also been raised about the sudden swell in voter numbers and exclusion of eligible voters in opposition-leaning communities.
Matters are not helped by a legal lacuna that allows the local government ministry to manage and run civic elections rather than the Independent National Electoral Commission.
All these deficits need to be addressed because they are strong influences on voter perception and the outcome of any election is largely a product of its processes. You cannot expect a credible poll when its processes lack integrity and public trust.
Gaps in the legal framework must be closed because they open a window to manipulation or abuse, and blur lines of accountability for electoral outcomes.
Equally, inconsistent enforcement of election-related laws can create a perception of partiality, when laws tend to be enforced more vigorously against opposition candidates than to those affiliated with the ruling party.
Ultimately, irregularities and lack of transparency in elections can have negative consequences for electoral democracy. They can lead to disillusionment, where citizens believe the outcome is predetermined, low voter turnout and a general loss of faith in electoral democracy.
While ruling parties may take pride in their growing dominance of the political process, ultimately, when large segments of the population feel excluded, the government ceases to be representative in the true sense of the word and loses legitimacy.
All this has implications for Tanzania’s democratic development and governance. It is necessary that President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi listen to the issues that have been raised about the upcoming election.
Voter registration is the cornerstone of electoral democracy and if the process is not beyond reproach, it will be difficult to claim a credible victory by whoever wins.
