Democracy deferred: understanding elections and the role of donors in Ethiopia

Abbink, G.J. (2011)

Part of book or chapter of book

This chapter revisits the issue of elections and democracy in Africa, a theme that emerged as dominant in scholarly discussions in African Studies in the 1990s. The trigger for featuring Ethiopia as a case study was the May 2010 parliamentary elections when the incumbent party, which had been in power since 1991, took 99.6% of all the seats. While the various Ethiopian elections will not be discussed in detail, the political culture or wider context in which they occur - and always produce the same overall result - will be highlighted to demonstrate the enduring mechanisms and problems of hegemonic rule and how difficult it is to create a democratic system that allows for changes in power (i.e. alternation). The relationship between one-party rule and economic development will also be discussed - the latter being a donor obsession that clouds the political agenda. The chapter closes with some reflections on the recurring donor-country dilemmas when it comes to dealing with electoral autocracies, such as Ethiopia.

• Ethiopia
• democracy
• development cooperation
• elections
• 2010

• All authors: Abbink, G.J.
• Editor(s): Abbink G.J., Bruijn M.E. de
• Date: 2011
• Title of host publication: African dynamics; Land, law and politics in Africa: mediating conflict and reshaping the state
• Pages: 213 - 239
• ISBN (print): 900421738X
• Name: 10