Renting out unexercised votes: The 2010 Ethiopian Election
Zekarias Ezra
July 22, 2009
"Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives... The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."
Article 21, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
In the investing world, whence I borrowed the term vote renting, there is a process, not supported by many, by which an investor borrows shares in order to vote on a transaction to secure a desired outcome.
My fear is that in the 2010 election the EPRDF-led Ethiopian government will employ a deliberate scheme to ´rent out´ the unexercised votes of millions of disgruntled citizens and declare EPRDF a winner.
But, for democracy to work, the consent of the governed is a must. As the most fundamental concept of democracy, it means that citizens have the right to choose their leaders in free, fair, and regular elections. Other rights are fundamental to democracy too. Yet the right to elect one's representatives and to influence the political direction of one's government is democracy's indispensable political foundation.
Without free elections, citizens cannot express their will and thus do not have the opportunity to change their leaders, address wrongs, or protest the limitation of their rights. Free elections establish the citizenry's and the individual's political rights.
That is why world history is replete with stories of millions of people braving violence, intimidation, and other obstacles to demand the right to express their will through the ballot box.
For democracy to work, however, everyone must agree to accept the results of freely held elections. The people and parties, who have lost power, must be willing to accept electoral defeat. If the loser refuses to accept the result of the election, the election's legitimacy is diminished and the political system may be marked by conflict and instability. A key test for a democracy is the successful and peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Indeed, this is a continuous test for any democracy, even established ones. Note the 2000 US presidential elections
So, handing political power to one of your protégé does not really count as passing the key test. Notwithstanding their frequent abuse of the term "elections", though, sometimes dictators wrongly assess their own popularity and allow a relatively free vote to be held, believing that they cannot lose. Through voter mobilization and vigilant oversight, citizens have used such opportunities to make democratic breakthroughs. Many dictators, however, respond to public dissatisfaction by strengthening their control. That is exactly what has happened in the 2005 Ethiopian election.
There is a greater chance EPRDF will attempt to repeat the result of the 2005 elections only this time it will not take any chance by allowing a free elections.
Article 21, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
In the investing world, whence I borrowed the term vote renting, there is a process, not supported by many, by which an investor borrows shares in order to vote on a transaction to secure a desired outcome.
My fear is that in the 2010 election the EPRDF-led Ethiopian government will employ a deliberate scheme to ´rent out´ the unexercised votes of millions of disgruntled citizens and declare EPRDF a winner.
But, for democracy to work, the consent of the governed is a must. As the most fundamental concept of democracy, it means that citizens have the right to choose their leaders in free, fair, and regular elections. Other rights are fundamental to democracy too. Yet the right to elect one's representatives and to influence the political direction of one's government is democracy's indispensable political foundation.
Without free elections, citizens cannot express their will and thus do not have the opportunity to change their leaders, address wrongs, or protest the limitation of their rights. Free elections establish the citizenry's and the individual's political rights.
That is why world history is replete with stories of millions of people braving violence, intimidation, and other obstacles to demand the right to express their will through the ballot box.
For democracy to work, however, everyone must agree to accept the results of freely held elections. The people and parties, who have lost power, must be willing to accept electoral defeat. If the loser refuses to accept the result of the election, the election's legitimacy is diminished and the political system may be marked by conflict and instability. A key test for a democracy is the successful and peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Indeed, this is a continuous test for any democracy, even established ones. Note the 2000 US presidential elections
So, handing political power to one of your protégé does not really count as passing the key test. Notwithstanding their frequent abuse of the term "elections", though, sometimes dictators wrongly assess their own popularity and allow a relatively free vote to be held, believing that they cannot lose. Through voter mobilization and vigilant oversight, citizens have used such opportunities to make democratic breakthroughs. Many dictators, however, respond to public dissatisfaction by strengthening their control. That is exactly what has happened in the 2005 Ethiopian election.
There is a greater chance EPRDF will attempt to repeat the result of the 2005 elections only this time it will not take any chance by allowing a free elections.
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