Convenors: Dr Innocent Batsani-Ncube, Dr Anna Mwaba, Dr Maureen Lifongo and Bella Nininahazwe
This stream invites critical exploration of the narratives and power dynamics shaping electoral integrity peer review mechanisms (EIPRMs) within African regional organisations that include the East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The stream examines how regional institutional design, organisational culture, states’ competing interests and political elites’ intra organisational power play influence the design, implementation, and contestation of EIPRMs, which aim to ensure elections meet national, regional, and international standards.
Originally founded for economic cooperation by non-democratic regimes, these organisations have, since the post-Cold War era, adopted democracy-building as a core principle. EIPRMs, encompassing peer reviews, electoral principles, advisory bodies, observation missions, and conflict resolution frameworks, are intended to uphold electoral integrity. However, despite significant investment, these mechanisms often legitimise authoritarianism, as regional elites prioritise solidarity over impartial enforcement. We are interested in exploring how and under what conditions this happens especially in the context of the presence of explicit regional guidelines and principles governing the conduct of democratic elections. This stream seeks to unpack these tensions through interdisciplinary and multi-sited perspectives.
We invite panels exploring:
1. Formal and informal processes involved in the design, implementation and contestation of African ROs’ electoral integrity peer review mechanisms.
2. The ecology of power in African ROs and how this impacts the implementation of EPRMs; and
3. Detailed country case studies illustrating how member states engage with or evade EIPRM scrutiny.
These panels will foster dialogue among scholars at all career stages and encourage inter-generational and global perspectives on how narratives of democracy and power shape African electoral politics.
Contact: Dr Anna Mwaba amwaba@smith.edu
