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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Elections in Nigeria: Is the Third Time a Charm?
Authors:LeVan, A. CarlISNI
Pitso, TitiISNI
Adebo, BodunrinISNI
Year:2003
Periodical:Journal of African Elections
Volume:2
Issue:2
Period:October
Pages:30-47
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:elections
2003
Politics and Government
Ethnic and Race Relations
Abstract:The April 2003 elections in Nigeria, although marred by serious irregularities, were historic - instead of a military coup, a civilian government was to be succeeded by another civilian government. Prior to the elections, problems arose with the electoral framework and undermined confidence in the process. Other serious concerns were the high incidence of violence in the pre-election period, especially during the party primaries, and shortcomings in the voter registration and voter education process. The electoral commission addressed many of the inefficiencies that arose during the National Assembly elections, but serious irregularities in the presidential and gubernatorial elections the following week brought the results in some areas into question. Other notable outcomes included the extraordinary defeat which the Alliance for Democracy (AD) suffered in the legislative and gubernatorial elections, the unusually high degree of turnover generally, and President Obasanjo's redemption by the Yoruba electorate in the South West zone. However, the expansion of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) across ethnic and regional cleavages may have been the result of simply internalizing political competition within parties rather than promoting competition among them. Although it is difficult to say whether Nigeria is measuring up to the standards of democratic consolidation commonly used by political scientists, on several grounds the elections may nonetheless be viewed as a positive step towards democratic consolidation. Bibliogr., notes. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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