INSIGHTS INTO ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN DEMOCRACIES: QUIZZING THE CAUSES AND IMPACT

This article is developed to analyze democratization process and electoral violence in sub-Saharan African, especially among new democracies. Election is designed for the purpose of transferring political power from one administration to another. Recently, elections held outside the developed democracies are commonly accompanied by substantial violence and post-electoral conflict. Thus, the article has surveyed main on causes, implications, and prospect of having rancor free elections in sub-Saharan Africa. The study adapted state fragility theory and descriptive method of analysis. The paper argues that fragility of states institutions, neo-patrimonial character of African political system, majoritarianism, partisan electoral management body (EMB), power of incumbency among others are significant factors propelling election violence. These authors have argued that current unpleasant situation in some African new democracies is complicated by absence of quality democrats, partisan judicial system, weak political institutions; while civil society groups are sometimes complicit. Given this, some of the consequences are exclusion of vast majority of electorates in the democratization process, and bad governance. Significantly, electoral violence is a major threat to democratic building. Given this, the article reiterates the need to tackle the dreaded monster headlong.