The Institute of Federalism participated to the 6th SASCA (Stellenbosch Annual Seminar on Constitutionalism in Africa), which took place from 4th to 6th September 2018. Nicolas Schmitt presented a conference called: «’Little Aberrations Here and There’ – The Difficulties of improving Democracy through Elections in Africa».

Some 21 guest speakers among top ranking African scholars (there were even more participants, participants) presented conferences devoted to the abovementioned topic.

Let us say it straightaway, the participation in such a seminary is rather depressing. Why? Because when 21 highly qualified speakers start to examine with a sharpened scientific scalpel the question of the elections and the democracy in Africa, we realize that the ways to cheat and thus to by-pass the democracy are at the same time uncountable and really hidden everywhere, even where we do not expect. Having said that, studies presented during this seminar showed that the «quality» of democracy in Africa was at the same level as in Latin America and in the post-Soviet world, and slightly better than in Asia. At the global level, only Europe gets out of it.

The conclusion of the SASCA could be summarized as follows.

At the time of Erdogan, Trump, Orban, Morawiecki, Kurz and soon maybe Jimmie Akesson or Jair Bolsonaro, it appears as a recent certainty that democracy is in danger. And this for two mains reasons that the SASCA seminar could highlight very well. The first one is that the possibilities of «fixing» or «flawing» a ballot, and thus the democracy, are uncountable. But the second is even graver: people do not express any more desire for democracy. In a hyperindividualistic society («Ich-Gesellschaft»), people do not any more worry to fit out their life in common. In Africa (but doubtless in many other places of the world) it is translated by a widely shared aphorism: «Since I have to eat, no matter who governs me».