By Omar Bah
According to a recent Afrobarometer survey, 76 percent of Gambians strongly disapproved of a military takeover. Based on 53,444 face-to-face interviews, the survey suggests that most Africans favor democracy as their preferred form of government and reject non-democratic alternatives, such as military rule. Additionally, the survey highlights widespread support for democratic governance practices, including the election of political leaders, constitutional limits on presidential terms, presidential compliance with court rulings, parliamentary executive oversight, media freedom, and multi-party competition. While opposition to military rule has notably increased in The Gambia, more than half of Africans are open to the idea of military intervention “when elected leaders misuse their power,” even though a majority opposes institutionalized military rule.
Despite substantial shortcomings in government services, an increasing majority of Africans place greater importance on government accountability to the people rather than just the ability to “get things done.” While Africa’s youth exhibit a similar level of support for democracy as their elders, they are more open to accepting military intervention. However, there has been a decrease in perceptions of crucial democratic governance practices, such as presidential respect for the courts and Parliament, and deficiencies persist in areas like equal treatment before the law.
The report also presents country democracy scorecards, which provide graphic representations of Afrobarometer findings related to the most critical indicators of democratic demand and supply for each country surveyed.
Afrobarometer’s first flagship report highlights a strong commitment among Africans to democracy, its norms, and institutions. However, there are some worrying signs, including a sharp decline in popular support for democracy in particular countries over the past decade and a weakening opposition to military rule. Despite these challenges, the survey also reveals positive trends, such as the widespread rejection of non-democratic alternatives, including military rule, and the increasing importance placed on government accountability by most Africans. Satisfaction with the functioning of democracy has also continued to decrease.
Key findings:
– Support for Democracy:
The report indicates that there is overall strong support for democracy across 39 countries surveyed, with 66% of Africans expressing a preference for democracy over any other form of government. Large majorities also reject one-person rule (80%), one-party rule (78%), and military rule (66%). However, there has been a seven-percentage point decline in support for democracy across 30 consistently surveyed countries over the past decade, with significant drops of 29 points in South Africa and 23 points in Mali. Opposition to military rule has also decreased by 11 points across 30 countries, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso, where there have been drops of 40 and 37 points, respectively. Additionally, more than half of Africans (53% across 39 countries) are open to the possibility of a military takeover if elected leaders abuse their power for personal gain.
The report notes that a growing majority continues to demand government accountability, the rule of law, and other democratic norms, including presidential accountability to Parliament, multi-party competition, presidential term limits, and media freedom. However, support for elections has dropped by eight percentage points across 30 countries, although a majority still consider it the best method for choosing their leaders.
