Democracy has been able to survive and recreate itself well into the 21st century due to the concept of elections. Elections have kept the democratic norms in function as it is the very fuel that keeps this form of government to remain in practice. However the hosting of elections have become complicated over time as each country tailor makes it to their political environment. This leads to either a positive or negative outcome. Indeed a blanket view of democracy simply does not add up given that each country has a set of norms and values that are different from each other. The concept is not perfect but is a lesser flawed one than other concepts as history has taught us. Case in point the Soviet Union and North Korea. This also means elections are just as complex as one has to consider the regional, cultural and historical context of a nation when elections are to be held. A country's size and population also means elections are conducted differently as a country that is smaller is likely to have its votes counted faster than a huge one. Although this is contested as witnessed in the United States (US) where the results of the winner are announced in less than a day despite the US being over 9000000 km² in size, while in places such as India it takes much longer despite being smaller in size than the US but with a much larger population and other factors in other countries such as poor road infrastructure to transport ballet papers or not using a modern form of biometric systems to count votes more effectively and efficiently. Hence, elections is in itself a complex set of rules and regulations that simply cannot be replicated in its entirety from one country to another.
However there are basic standards that all countries which have regular elections need to follow:
1. Allow all its citizens who have reached adulthood to have the universal right to cast their votes.
2. That the final results be respected and not tampered with.
3. That there are enough polling stations throughout a country so that people do not have to travel long distances.
4. Those who vote should be allowed to vote for whoever thay want without intimidation.
5. That all political parties should be able to have observers to witness the counting of ballots.
6. All those in the voting qeue should be allowed to cast their vote as long as they are registered voters.
7. Let us not forget about the pre-election period where all political parties should be allowed to campaign freely in line with the rules and regulations of the country's constitution.
8. That the elections be as transparent as possible.
9. That the polling stations open on time unless there is a valid reason otherwise in this case good communication should be passed to those already waiting to cast their vote with extentions being allowed.
10. Lastly, that all political players agree in unison despite their political differences the results unless clear irregularities have taken place, in which case should be contested in the right legal channels.
To date many countries around the world are having or have had elections already and these include South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, UK, France, The US, India and many others to name but a view. This concept of elections has been around for a millenia since the time of ancient Greece. However it has fully gained traction globally following the end of world War two with the creation of the new international order which has sought to promote peace and stability with the United Nations promoting democratic norms globally. This post-war period saw the rise of what has been termed the waves of democracy as it was also a period of decolonisation, promotion of human rights with the Bretton Woods Institutes being key proponents of this dispensation and has put this concept of elections to the test on a global scale as almost all countries host elections, regardless of how free and fair, flawed, just for show or for rubber stamping purposes. As we move further into the 21st century we will continue to witness vast changes of government as 2024 has already displayed with interesting scenarios emerging such as a GNU in South Africa, a likely change of government in the UK, a neck on neck race in the US, Namibia most likely to elect its first female President, and perhaps some surprise outcomes to come.
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