Describe two characteristics of Nigeria’s electoral
system. How does the electoral system
account for the diversity of the Nigerian population? Is there strictly procedural democracy in
Nigeria? Why or why not? If not, what are
the elements of substantive democracy?
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To win the election in the first round, a candidate must win a majority of the national vote and atleast 25% of the votes in two thirds of the Nigerian states. If no candidate is able to win in the first round, a runoff election is then held where the person with the majority of the votes then wins. The electoral system accounts for the diversity of the Nigerian population by requiring at least 25% of the votes in two thirds of the Nigerian states. This measure is put in place to ensure that the candidate elected will appeal and be supported by atleast a significant amount of people in most states of Nigeria. Nigeria looks to be largely a procedural democracy where many critics have charged it with having rigged elections. The same party has been in power for the past 16 years, and many of the elections are characterized by violence. However, the upcoming election may point towards Nigeria taking steps to becoming a substantive democracy. Many predict the upcoming election to be a hotly-contested election where Muhammadu Buhari has a real chance to take power from the current Present Goodluck Jonathan. The candidates have all promised to have a clean and non-violent campaign.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31111572
The electoral system in Nigeria seems to be unfair to the people. Twenty-five percent minimal vote in at least two-thirds of the Nigerian states is a very low number and quite attainable for most candidates. The procedure is organized to avoid a chaotic electoral system but the elections themselves instill violence and fear amongst the country. The fact that the same political party in Nigeria has one the elections for the past 16 years causes suspicion in many people. I don’t think it is necessarily rigged, but I do understand this opinion coming from upset citizens. The upcoming election is going to be a good change for the country since both candidates have pledged to be civil and non-violent. A country like Nigeria, already so violent, needs to promote peace to move forward and progress. This election might be extremely beneficial to them.
DeleteIn Nigeria, the candidate needs to have more than 50% of the national vote and 25% of the votes in ⅔ of Nigeria’s 36 states. If there is no clear winner, there needs to be a run-off election in the next seven days.
ReplyDeleteSince Nigeria is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa, it is hard for them to fully represent their diverse population. Their first-past-the-post system makes it hard for all of the ethnicities to be represented as well. Nigeria has a procedural democracy in that the ruling party controls all aspects of politics and the people do not have equal participation. The president also picks the cabinet and the members of the Nigerian Supreme Court. However, it has some elements of substantive democracy in that the minority parties still have a say in the National Assembly.
The candidates running for the position of president need to have more than 50% of the national vote and 25% of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 ethno-political divisions during the day that the voting booths are open. If no clear winner is presented, there needs to be a run-off in the next 7 days, and the candidate with the majority will win the presidency. There are many ethnic divisions within Nigeria, and so the SMDP electoral system makes it hard for the ethnic groups that are in small percents to play a big role in the country's politics. Nigeria has a procedural democracy because the many ethnic groups are not directly and equally represented, and the ruling party, or the party of the president controls all aspects of politics and government policy implementation. The minority parties still have a say in the National Assembly, which makes Nigeria a partial substantive democracy.
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