The Catholic Church and Advocacy for the Common Good in Africa

Abstract

The right to vote is often guaranteed and respected in democratic nations of sub–Saharan Africa. However, there is a wanton disregard for the conditions and acceptable processes for free and fair elections. This is notable in the falsification of voters’ registration, violent campaigns, absence of open debate, muzzling of opposition parties, arbitrary constitutional reforms, claims and counterclaims of rigging, litigations in court, declaration of the incumbent as the winner, and call for a government of national unity. The cycle is repeated in another election season. What is primarily obtained in sub–Saharan Africa resembles an apocryphal saying attributed to Josef Stalin: “It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” The Catholic Bishops of Africa have relentlessly condemned electoral fraud, manipulation of results, electoral violence, and the suppression of the truth of the ballot by powerful African sit–tight politicians. Under the umbrella of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the bishops published a Pastoral Letter in 2013, Governance, Common Good, and Democratic Transition in Africa, which highlights Africa’s checkered history of constitutional government. The document notes disapprovingly that violent confrontations often occur before, during, and after elections. Consequently, electoral disputes remain unresolved, preparing the ground for potential violence in another round of the electoral cycle. This paper demonstrates the advocacy of the Catholic Church and its mission of promoting the common good, with democracy and good governance as two indispensable components.