- Over the last decade it is fair to say that democracy has been in stagnation globally, and in reverse in some places, says Helgesen. – Many experts point to the situation in many former Soviet states as exampes of reverse, there is still a status quo for most of the Middle East. In Africa we have seen both progress and setbacks – I think the next ten years will be very decisive for democracy on this continent, says Helgesen.
- The elections in Ghana are the most recent success story in Africa. Then we have had the recent coup d’etats on the other hand – and elections with widespread violence as a component. We also see many electoral democracies where the actual democratic process runs skin deep, says Helgesen. The question for many people is how democracy can deliver to the people – in this case the democracy situation in Africa will be very important in the years to come.
Consultations with the AU
International IDEA is working with the upcoming EU Presidency, Sweden, to look at the EU’s role in democracy building around the world, and a consultation with the AU commission was held in Addis Ababa this week.
- The EU is a large economic actor, by far the biggest development assistance actor, and a significant political actor in the world. It is an immensely successful example of democracy-building in its own region, but has not really articulated a coherent policy in support of democracy-building worldwide. There is a need for the EU to do so, but developing such a policy should not be done in European isolation. This is why IDEA has offered to organise consultations in Latin America, South Asia, South East Asia, the Arab World and Africa about how the EU is perceived from these regions and how partnerships in support of democracy can be strengthened. This week we have gathered experts, politicians and diplomats in Addis Abeba to discuss this issue and we will make a report with policy recommendations that will be presented in June, Helgesen says.
The AU charter
The AU commission has launched an ambitious charter on democracy, elections and governance: how go from words to action?
- The charter is an integral, holistic approach to democracy, in my view one of the best international policy statements that have been made on democracy. Even the EU is not as clear on many points as the AU is in this paper, says Helgesen.
- But obviously: the gap between words and action is still hard to fill. So far the declaration has only been ratified by two countries. It is for Africa as it is for other regions of the world, the actors on the continent must decide on the course forward –democracy can not be forced upon a country or a region, says Helgesen. The AU document lays a good foundation in this sense, but actions are what matter.
Six African members
International IDEA is planning to establish a liaison office in Addis Ababa in the year to come.
- We want to establish this office in order to support the AU commission’s work with the implementation of the democracy charter. Currently there is a gap in international support to the AU on political affairs, while there is a lot of international support to the AU’s efforts within peace and security – we hope to contribute to filling this gap, says Helgesen.
International IDEA has offices in South Africa, Ghana and in the Sudan. The priority of the regional office, based in South Africa, is working with the AU on the charter. In the Sudan the organization is working on supporting the political parties towards the upcoming elections, within the frames of the comprehensive peace agreement. The organization is also organizing trainings for the electoral commissions in many African countries, giving advice on electoral law and constitution building. International IDEA has currently six member states in Africa: Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, and South Africa.
Not only about growth
A researcher once interviewed a man who asked “can we eat democracy”. How would answer the democracy-critical voices?
- This is a very relevant question these days. But I am sure the hungry man would be very keen on having the opportunity to choose the leaders in charge of his country: this is seen in India which has elections these days, and where the poorest people have a larger turnout at the elections that the middle class. Politics is about being responsive to people’s needs. It means more for poor people whom are in power. Who can deliver, people ask… With China’s increasing role on the African continent, many people also ask if democracy is the right model for many African states. Could the Chinese way create more economical growth? But statistics does not support this. Many of the richest nations are also those with democracy. But it is necessary to see that democracy is not all about economic growth. A democracy is not supposed to only deliver on economic issues.
Work with political parties
How are the democracy prospects overall? Are you optimistic?
- Yes, I am optimistic. The financial crisis creates some uncertainty – so that is a factor these days. But I think what is decisive is people’s wish. Do they want democracy? Our experience is that people overwhelmingly do, but they are not always satisfied with the way democracy works in there country. There are challenges: One is the political space decreasing in many countries – then you have the capacity of the political parties. They are the bridge between people’s expectations and the actual delivery of results. We work with parties, how the parties function internally, how they includes people’s expectations… how feasible their policy is… We think that the political parties have sometimes been forgotten in the international cooperation architecture – this is important for the donor countries to keep in mind when you support the government or the civil society, says Helgesen. In their work with political parties International IDEA focus on how the parties involve and relate to each other.
- One experience is that there does not exist a basic consensus about the rules of the political game, this is often a challenge many places. For the African context, the AU charter specifically addresses the role of political parties – that is a promising thing.
Exciting process to lead
Vidar Helgesen has been the International IDEA secretary general for three years now.
- It has been three great years. It’s a great opportunity to work with political reform in different settings. 15 years ago the general belief was that democracy was on a steady path forward – but today we see that there are still many challenges. That means there is also an increased interest in the work we do. This is an exciting process to lead, Helgesen says.