Press Release

The 1997 Democracy Forum
Opens With Focus on Africa

Stockholm, 30 June 1997 -- The second annual International IDEA Democracy Forum officially opened today at the Stockholm city hall. The Vice Chairman of the Board of International IDEA, Mr. Thorvald Stoltenberg, set the tone for the week-long meeting in his opening comments. “The old world order has given way, and now we find ourselves in a very special moment in history, when we are taking part in creating a new world order. This new order will be based upon two pillars; regional integration and democratic governance.”

The Mayor of Stockholm Mr. Mats Hulth and the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Ms. Birgitta Dahl spoke about Sweden’s role in helping to create this new order and then the discussion turned to Africa.

An underlying theme was that elections do not mean democracy. The Speaker of the first democratically elected Parliament of South Africa, Ms. Frene Ginwala, noted that in the first seven years of this decade there have been three times as many elections in Africa as there were in the entire 80s “but elections do not mean democracy,” she stated. “Democracy is very dear and must be nurtured.” Ginwala spoke about the need for bringing democracy to the people of Africa. She mentioned on-going work in South Africa to write laws in simple English and the steps that have been taken to give non-governmental organizations easy access to parliamentarians.

The Foreign Minister of Botswana, Lt. Gen. M.S. Merafhe, who comes from the oldest uninterrupted democracy in Africa, said that his Government was considering extending legal voting age in Botswana from 21 to 18, so that Botswana’s democracy could be “deepened”. He also highlighted the role of the military.

“The Military should do what they are trained to do, to fight and defend the country, and they must uphold the constitution,” Merafhe, a former General stated. He highlighted the need to respect the role of the military as the military must respect its own role. “Do not attempt to separate the military from civilians.”

He concluded by stating that regional organizations such as SADC (Southern African Development Community) and the international community must prevent reversals to the process of democratization in Africa.

Ms. Bience Gawanas, Ombudsperson for Namibia, came back to the point that elections were one step in the democratic process but constant surveillance was needed to sustain democracy. In Namibia the role of ombudsperson was created to monitor the functioning of democratic institutions. She highlighted the need for “independent institutions to adhere to high ethical behaviour” and to help in the process of building a culture of human rights. “Governments must recongnize the need for these institutions and fund them adequately.”

At the end of the debate, Ben Ephson, the Executive Director of Ghana Alert, called on organizations outside of Africa to watch how they spend money to foster democracy in Africa. “The next time an organization thinks about sending 10 monitors to Africa, that organization should think again, and then send five and save the $US 25,000 for capacity building inside of the country.” Many views were represented during the panel discussion.

The Institute’s network of Electoral Management Bodies also met today and reviewed two codes of conduct, one on the ethical and professional observation of elections and a second on the ethical and professional administration of elections. These codes will be finalized and published in the coming months. This meeting will continue tomorrow.

The 1997 Democracy Forum has more than 150 participants from all parts of the world. The Forum consists of panel discussions on many themes. On July 1 the discussion will focus on Central America, reconciliation and justice, integration and expansion of Europe and the role a free market plays in developing sustainable democracy. The Forum also includes the annual meeting of the Council of International IDEA and a meeting of its Board of Directors.

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) was founded in February 1995. The Institute’s overall objective is to promote and advance sustainable democracy world-wide and to improve and consolidate electoral processes. To date, Members are Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, Finland, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, the International Press Institute, and Parliamentarians for Global Action. The Institute also has co-operative agreements with the International Commission of Jurists, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the United Nations Development Programme. Switzerland also contributes to the work of the Institute.