The above excerpt describes the socio-political climate prevalent in Africa. Since the early 1990s when many African states went through the third wave of democratisation characterised by a return to multi-party system, the process of democratisation has been very slow in many parts of the continent. Palmer reminds us that the elements of a functional democracy should include participation of the people either directly or indirectly, independence of the judiciary, separation of powers, the rule of law, the respect for fundamental rights, free and fair elections, multi-party system, freedom of the press, accountability, transparency of government officials, to name a few.
According to the 2018 democracy index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, based on the following democratic factors: Electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties, very few countries in Africa with the exception of Mauritius qualify as full democracies. According to the index, full democratic countries are nations where civil rights and basic political freedoms are not only respected, but also reinforced by a political culture conducive to the thriving of democratic principles. Such societies have a sound system of governmental checks and balances, an independent judiciary whose decisions are enforced, governments that function adequately, and diverse and independent media. These types of nations have only limited problems in democratic functioning.
