ABSTRACT
Elections are the foundation stone for liberal democracy – widely regarded as necessary although not sufficient for transitions from authoritarianism and building sustainable democratic governance. Even flawed contests can provide opportunities for mobilization by opposition forces and civil society reform groups (Lindberg 2006). Occasional election upsets, such as South Korea in 1985 or Thailand in 1992, open the door to further processes of democratization. Yet rather than inevitably strengthening democracy, even unintentional malpractices can diminish trust, destabilize states and trigger violence. In some cases flawed elections can be manipulated by ruling parties as a façade to reinforce the appearance of popular support, to fragment and under-cut the opposition and to deflect international criticism of poor human rights records.
