Examples of Democratic Systems in Africa

The countries below have been able to hold successful democratic elections and transiton of power. This is a rare occurance in Africa, however many nations see this as something to look forward to.

Mauritania

President: Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdellahi

• Mauritania became an independent nation on November 28, 1960.
• Moktar Ould Daddah was the first president of Mauritania. He declared the nation a single-party state in 1964.
• Daddah was re-elected in 1966, 1971 and 1976.  He was uncontested in all of these elections.
• On July 10, 1978, Daddah was ousted by a military coup.  Military coups continued to rule the country until 1984. 
• At the end of this military period,  Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was in power.  He remained in power until 1992 when the country's first multi-party elections were held.  He was elected as president of Mauritania.  He was re-elected in 1997 for another term.
• On November 7, 2003, Mauritania held its third ever multi-party election.  Taya won again with 67.02% of the votes. 
• Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall led a military coup on August 3, 2005 and ended Taya's rule over Mauritania. 
• On June 26, 2006 the constitution was ratified to limit the number of terms a president can have. 
• The first fully democratic Presidential election since 1960 occurred on 11 March 2007 and  Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi became president.
• This is the first time a president was selected by a ballot in Mauritania's history. 
• Mauritania is clearly on the right track, however the question is whether or not smooth transitions of power will continue in the future. 
• For more information on Mauritania, click here.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

President: Joseph Kabila

• The Democratic Republic of Congo was granted independence on June 30, 1960. 
• 2 leaders won the elections: Patrice Lumumba who became Prime Minister and Joseph Kasavubu became Head of State.
• During an army coup in 1960, Lumumba was killed.  It is believed that Kasavubu staged this coup.
• In 1965, Kasavubu was ousted by General Joseph-Desire Mobutu.
• Mobutu eliminated opposititon to win the election in 1970 .  In 1975, he changed the countries name to Zaire.  He also changed his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko, which means "the all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to onquest leaving fire in his wake."
• May of 1997 marked the end of a seven-month campaign led by Laurent Kabila that ousted Mobutu.  Mobotu's political regime is often referred to as one of the world's most corrupt and megolomanical ever.
• Laurent Kabila returned the country to its' original name in 1997.
• In January of 2001, Laurent Kabila was assasinated and his son, Joseph Kabila, became the new president.
• In May 2005, a new constitution was adopted and ratified in January 2006.
• On July 30, 2006 the first democratic election since 1970 took place.  Joseph Kabila recieved 44.8% of the votes but after a run-off election he was delcared president. 
• Joseph Kabila is the first freely elected president in four decades for the DRC.
• The country seems to be on the right track, and only time will tell. 
• For more information about the Democratic Republic of Congo, click here. 

Sierra Leone

President: Ernest Koroma

• Sierra Leone became an independent nation on April 27, 1961.  The nation's first prime minister was Sir Milton Margai. 
• Sire Milton Margai died in 1964, and his brother Sir Albert Margai replaced him.  He tried to make Sierra Leone a one-party state, however met much resistence and abandoned the idea. 
• After elections in 1967, Siaka Stevens was declared prime minister of Sierra Leone.
• In both 1971 and 1974 there were unsuccessful coups against the military.
• On April 19, 1971 Seirra Leone became a Republic with Siaka Stevens as it's first president.
• In March of 1976, Stevens was unopposed, and was elected for another five year term.
• Stevens retired as president in November of 1985, after ruling for fourteen years.
• Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected after a one-party referendum on October 1, 1985.
• On October 1, 1991 a new constitution was adopted that allowed for a multi-party system and encouraged political diversity.
• In 1992, Momoh was sent into exile, and replaced by Valentine Strasser.
• Strasser was ousted in 1996 after removing the 1991 constitution.  General elections were held, and Ahmad Tejan Kabbah became the new president. 
• Kabbah was Sierra Leone's first democratically elected president. 
• Later that year, Major General Johnny Paul Koroma took over, and Kabbah was sent to exile.  He returned after only 10 months and took over power in March of 1998.
• In September 2007 elections, Ernest Koroma was named president, and this was the first election since the UN peace keeping force left Sierra Leone in 2004. 
• For more information,click here.

The video below shows the situation in Sierra Leone prior to their recent elections in September.  Click on the "play" symbol in the middle of the screen to begin watching.  

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