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Challenges in African Constitutional Development: Past, Present, and Future Prospects

Explore the development of constitutionalism in Africa, assessing the impact of democracy, challenges faced, and the role of elites. Investigate the disconnect between elite and public values, the influence of democratization on socioeconomic factors, and the limited acceptance of democratic ideals among the general population. Delve into the history of constitutionalism and its application in African countries. Reflect on the roles of political leadership, democratic party institutions, and the need for a constitutionalist culture.

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Challenges in African Constitutional Development: Past, Present, and Future Prospects

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  1. Development of Constitutionalism in Africa: Problems and Future Mai Cheng Nanchang University, China

  2. I. Africa: a Continent of unnatural countries • Could human kind create a country merely through its will? • If not, what will happen when it dare to do so? • If something wrong was dong, how to correct the past faults?

  3. II. Is democracy in Africa self-enforcing itself? “The periodic and repeated elections have a self-enforcing effect on democracy.” --Staffan I. Lindberg

  4. II、The Case of RSA White People relieved by the Black People Why democratization haven’t bring prosperity and stability automatically? “Honeymoon is over for White People in South Africa” Xenophobic Riots of 2015

  5. II、The Case of RSA The declining acceptance level of the population on democracy Hennie Kotze ＆ Cindy Lee Steenekamp, Values and democracy in South Africa: Comparing elite and public values, KAS 2009

  6. II、The Case of RSA More acceptance of the democracy in elite than in common people (in 2006) Hennie Kotze ＆ Cindy Lee Steenekamp, Values and democracy in South Africa: Comparing elite and public values, KAS 2009

  7. III. Is democracy bring benefits to average people in Africa？ • Low Correlation between the Democracy Index and GDP Per capita. • Is this unique in Africa, or a general tendency in the developing world, even a global phenomenon? Democratic Countries in Africa

  8. III. Is democracy bring benefits to average people in Africa？ • Low Correlation between the Democracy Index and Literacy Rate. • Can education and democratization reinforce each other?

  9. IV、Possible Explanation of the African Paradox • A highly idealistic beginning and a foreign introduced constitutionalism in Africa. • Long tradition of utilizing constitution and democratic institutions as instruments of defending the legitimacy of the regime. • Still lack of the local propelling factors for the development of constitutionalism.

  10. V. A political leadership largely out of the control of average people：constitutionalism as favorites of only the elites? • The assumption of capable citizen in classic constitutionalism • The limited applicability of this classic model in Africa (and China as well)

  11. V. A political leadership largely out of the control of average people：constitutionalism as favorites of only the elites? Different acceptance levels of the various Institutions with constitutional democracy by elites and the public. Hennie Kotze ＆ Cindy Lee Steenekamp, Values and democracy in South Africa: Comparing elite and public values, KAS 2009

  12. V. A political leadership largely out of the control of average people：constitutionalism as favorites of only the elites? Different acceptance levels of the various Institutions with constitutional democracy by elites and the public. Hennie Kotze ＆ Cindy Lee Steenekamp, Values and democracy in South Africa: Comparing elite and public values, KAS 2009

  13. V. A political leadership largely out of the control of average people：constitutionalism as favorites of only the elites? • A tight control by the elites after a long history of authoritarian rule. • A formal democratic constitution has brought little change to the monopoly position of the elite in the political, social and economic life of the African country. • The grassroots participation of the average people is still limited.

  14. VI. Constitutionalism as caviar to the general: a lack of constitutionalist culture • Constitutionalism more like a formal political and legal system rather than a social living style. • The reversed constitutional transformation process: political development prior to economic development. • Insufficient constitutionalist culture forging effort by the government.

  15. VII. One of the key institution to the advancement of African Constitutionalism: democratic party institutions. • A democratic party institution plays a substantial role in the operation of the African constitutionalism. • A general constitutional recognition of the role of the political party. • New Challenges to the democratic party institution: Dominate parties.

  16. VII. One of the key institution to the advancement of African Constitutionalism: democratic party institutions. Dominant Parties in the democratic countries of Africa

  17. VIII. Reflection upon the constitutionalist transition of African countries • Constitutionalist Democracy is not merely a political and legal system, it is also a living style of the common people and a social culture. • In the realization process of the fundamental rights, there are certain fundamentally fundamental rights which should be paid more attention to.

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