Democracy requires an alternative government

The elections raise questions that offer an opportunity for the people of the region to ask about the extent to which their interests as citizens, are represented in the various processes of democracy that operate in the southern region, particularly in the three countries that are bracing for election in 2009.

As a prelude to the discussion, it will be observed that initially, it was only required that a country should hold 'regular elections' in order to satisfy the definition of being a 'democracy'.