ABSTRACT
The role of elections in processes of democratization was not analysed in any depth until a few years ago when a vigorous debate emerged on whether the holding of elections in authoritarian regimes furthered democracy or was simply a way for dictators to prolong their stay in power,1 if ‘early’ elections risked plunging complex societies into chaos and civil war, and whether liberalizing reforms had to be sequenced in a certain way to support democratic consolidation. In this chapter I wish to pursue a bold claim. For the first time in Africa’s history, multi-party elections have become the only game in town. As a result, the conditions of ‘the art of ruling’ have changed and the continent is entering a new era. What is happening in these 48 countries today is naturally linked to the past, yet it is also different because incumbents have to deal with a fresh set of political challenges and incentives. We are only at the very beginning of understanding this change, and its consequences.
