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04/2006 		 

[ Promoting democracy ]

No universal blueprint

Will the elections in the DR Congo take place too soon? Paddy Ashdown, former European Union special representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, would probably say so. In his view, elections held relatively soon after the Dayton Peace Agreement did little to promote democracy in Bosnia. He argues it would have made more sense to first establish a modicum of rule of law as well as to stimulate economic development. In a similar sense, Volker Perthes, director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, points out that the beginnings of democratic development in Europe were not marked by elections, but by the struggle for rights and influence, along with institution building. Perthes spoke at a conference on External Democracy Promotion held by the Heinrich Bšll Foundation in Berlin in March. The foundation is close to Germany’s Green Party.

So should the elections scheduled for June in Congo be postponed, in order to first strengthen peace and the rule of law? Winrich KŸhne, Director of the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) does not think so: “25 million Congolese have registered – not because they believe their country will become more democratic as a result of the elections, but because the registration card symbolises their hope for peace and national unity.” According to KŸhne, the elections in the Congo will do little for democratisation, but they are likely to contribute to stabilising the country – and could thus serve an important function. In his view, whether the election results will be accepted or not will depend on events in the capital city. Therefore, he argues, a few hundred European peacekeepers in Kinshasa can make the difference.

There is no universal rule on when to hold elections in fragile states and post-conflict societies. According to Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, Security Adviser to President Hamid Karzai, the elections in Afghanistan helped legitimise the government. However, Marina Ottaway of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that, all too often, elections bring about legitimacy only from the international community’s perspective, but not from that of the people concerned.

According to Nassif Hitti of the League of the Arab States, one simple lesson is: “He who wants to plant democracy first has to study the condition of the soil.” Again, there is no universally valid blueprint. Among the factors to be taken into account, Hitti cites the structure of the state apparatus, characteristics of society in the target country and the reputation of the actors intervening from abroad. The USA, according to Marina Ottaway, could legitimately promote democracy in Eastern Europe, but cannot do so in the Middle East.

Ottaway says that often the democracy “supplied” by the West does not correspond to the demand of population majorities in the target countries. Too often, in her view, do donors focus on partner organisations attuned to Western standards. When the Palestinians vote for Hamas, on the other hand, democracy promoters from Berlin to Washington rub their eyes in disbelief. There is a lesson to be learned here for party-political foundations. Barbara UnmŸssig of Bšll-Foundation’s Executive Board asked whether her institution should help to set up political parties in fragile states. Volker Perthes supports the notion – under the condition, however, that foundations should try not to limit their support to those groups, that are fluent in English, have a cosmopolitan perspective and generally share the world view of donors.

If democracy promotion is not geared towards needs and the participation of the largest possible section of the population, it is no more than imperialism and colonialism in disguise. But according to Ralf FŸcks, another board member of the Bšll Foundation, a remainder of imperialism will always be inherent to democracy promotion because universal human rights have to be a core component. They cannot be compromised to accommodate diverging cultural, political and economic norms in the target countries, he claims. Touching once more upon the challenge of timing elections well, FŸcks maintains that it is no disaster if antidemocratic parties prevail at the polls, if a required minimum of democratic institutions and rules are established first. Once that is done, not everything will depend on the government anymore.

(ell)