[ad_1]
The Afrobarometer findings are based on the fact that in six countries of the continent, soldiers have driven duly elected political representatives from power, an attempt made by three presidents who, in their interest in a third term, did not hesitate to ignore constitutional obligations or resort to various means to harass the opposition.
The change of the Speaker of the National Assembly that took place in recent days does not make Mauritian democracy a superior and ideal system of government, but there are some nuances when compared to other forms of government, namely a one-party regime, a system where one party is composed of a majority with the military at the helm, or even a dictatorship, but democracy is the system preferred by the people of Mauritius.
This is one of the main lessons highlighted by the latest Afrobarometer survey. The nuance is because the answers to the question on respondents’ satisfaction with democracy show that satisfaction levels have fallen from 72% in 2012 to 39% in 2024, after falling from 51% in 2020 to 32% in 2022.
The designers of the Afrobarometer have been able to feel the pulse of the population of countries on the African continent, including Mauritius, on a regular basis on different topics, thanks to a research platform that has been independent of data processing since 1999. In Mauritius, StraConsult is the partner of the Afrobarometer.
The results of the latest edition of the Afrobarometer survey were released at the StraConsult headquarters in Port Louis on Wednesday, July 17. To the question of whether elected officials often/always listen to citizens, representatives responded with only 17% or 21% compared to local councillors.
When we talk about democracy, this necessarily means the freedom to exercise one’s fundamental rights. How are the four aspects in Mauritius? 88% of the respondents said they were free to vote without pressure. Of these, 70% admitted that they were free to join a political organization of their choice. On the other hand, the percentage of free expression of opinions dropped. As only 64% of people are willing to express their opinions publicly. 55% of people believe that the last election was free and transparent.
In short, the people of Mauritius are more or less satisfied with our system of government but believe that it deserves improvement. However, if there is one thing in common with the results compared to democracies in other countries on the African continent, it is that we are gradually witnessing a decline of democracy. This observation was also noted by the editors of the latest Afrobarometer report: “Since 2020, the commitment to democracy has gone through a difficult period.”
evidence:
● In six countries, soldiers overthrew elected leaders from power;
● Three presidents sought reelection despite constitutional provisions;
● Subtle tactics are used to undermine the virtues of democracy by trying to neutralize the force of measures taken to control the authority of the outgoing leader and by harassing the opposition parties.
[ad_2]
Source link
