Sit-Tight Governance and the Question of Democratic Sustainability in Africa

Abstract

Democracy is regarded as the best form of government for promoting development, but African leaders have distorted its implementation. This paper examines the trend of sit-tight government in Africa against this backdrop. The paper investigates the trend of post-independence African political leaders. African post-independence politics has been dominated by sit-tight leaders who came to power through election or coup d’e tat. The paper also investigates the mechanisms used by African sit-tight leaders to extend their office tenure. Coups appear to be the most common method of consolidating power. An attempted coup has occurred in 46 of 54 African countries. African has the most attempted and successful coups, with 214 attempted and 106 successful. Other methods they employ include constitutional suspension and amendment; godfathers also play an important role in the politics of some African countries. The trend of sit-tight governments can be reversed if international organizations such as the AU, ECOWAS, and the UN sanction African dictators and through revival of democratic consciousness among the citizenry.