• loathsome dongeater@lemmygrad.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    If elections were rigged, that would mean that there was no democracy in place to begin with. How is changing to any other system a loss in democracy even though there was none to begin with?

    • pooberbee (any)@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      Elections are a system of democracy. If corruption can be rooted out, then that system is already ostensibly in place, whereas I believe the military leaders are planning to tear the whole government down and rebuild from scratch. Maybe they rebuild a democracy with better assurances of fair elections and it ends up a net gain of democracy, but for now it’s a loss.

      • loathsome dongeater@lemmygrad.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        19
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I get your point now. But the rooting out of corruption part is a big if in realising the democratic potential of elections. When there are Western interests in play as is the case with many African countries, the corruption is crucial in keeping the subject open to western exploitation. As such any effort that would seem to curb corruption also opposes western interest and faces opposition because of that.

        This is why there is a contagion of anti-French coups in Africa currently. It is not because they don’t know how to do democracy better but because it’s extremely difficult to overturn the ruling class through legal and electoral means.

        • pooberbee (any)@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yeah, it’s a shitty situation for the Gabonese people. The junta somehow needs to give way to a stable, peaceful government, but that’s unlikely as long as there’s oil for “foreign interests” to liberate.

      • mayo_cider [he/him]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 year ago

        Elections are part of a democratic system, but only if they are held democratically

        If the election can be rigged, what’s there to keep from the system? The voting booths?