Sub-Saharan Africa

Elections have become a normal occurrence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the late 1990s the number of

coups has fallen sharply, whereas the number of elections has increased. However, many elections are

rigged and defeated incumbents often still refuse to accept defeat. Only in six countries in the region

are the elections judged to be both free and fair (Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa

and Zambia). Together with MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa was the only region in the world that had an

improvement in its average democracy score in 2011.

Progress in democracy in the region has been slow and uneven, but nevertheless continues. The

number of elections held annually in recent years has increased; since 2000 between 15 and 20

elections have been held each year. Although the holding of elections has become commonplace, not

all ballots pass the test of being “free and fair” and many have been charades held by regimes clinging

on to power.

The number of successful coups averaged about 20 per decade in 1960-2000. The number dropped

to just six in the 2000s: in the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania (twice), Guinea and

Madagascar. Although coups have become more infrequent, conflict, failed governments and humanrights

abuses remain widespread.

Only one state in the region (of the 44 assessed) remains a full democracy: the Indian Ocean

island of Mauritius, which has maintained a strong democratic tradition since the country gained

independence in 1968. The region has several flawed democracies, headed by South Africa, which

just falls short of being a full democracy because of weaknesses in political participation and political

culture. The other flawed democracies are Cape Verde, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Ghana, Mali,

Benin and since this year Zambia. However, hybrid regimes (11 countries) and authoritarian regimes

(23; over one-half of the total assessed) continue to predominate. In 2011 two countries also moved

from authoritarian to hybrid regimes (Mauritania and Niger), and Zambia improved from a hybrid to a

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