Electoral laws can exclude
individuals and groups from electoral processes by denying them the right to
vote or to compete in elections. They can also be designed to favor one party
over another. Those who feel that they are being denied an opportunity to
participate in the electoral process, or that they will be competing on an
uneven playing field, may resort to violent means to communicate their message
or to prevent elections from taking place at all. Similarly, a government or
its supporters may also prevent certain groups from participating in elections
through violent means.
Empirical
cases:
§ Zimbabwe parliamentary and
presidential elections 2008. The electoral law adopted in 2007 did not
stipulate a deadline for the announcement of election results. In addition, the
timeline for organizing a second round of elections proved somewhat shorter
than ideally needed in the context. Legal inconsistencies led to delay in the
announcement of election results, raising opposition concerns over the outcome.
As tensions rose, there were media reports of government supporters allegedly
intimidating people in areas that were seen as opposition strongholds.[1]
Interrelated factors: human rights violations (external); unequal media access
and favouritism (internal); presence of non-state armed actors (external); poor
socio-economic conditions (external); poor voter information campaign
(internal)
§ Burundi presidential
election 2015. The violence that surrounded the 2015
Burundi elections was rooted in controversy over the constitutionality of the 3rd term
as President given to Pierre Nkurunziza. His supporters argued that the
two-term limit established by the 2005 constitution did not apply to
Nkurunziza’s first mandate, since on that occasion he had not been elected by
universal suffrage but by the national assembly. After the Constitutional Court
endorsed this interpretation on 4 May 2015, large street demonstrations took
place and a (failed) coup occurred on 13 May. Local and legislative elections
were held on 29 June, and presidential elections on 15 July, despite a boycott
by key opposition parties.[2]
Interrelated factors: human
rights violations (external); poor socio-economic conditions (external);
unequal media access and favoritism (internal); Provocative and violent actions
by political parties (internal); Grievances relating to genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes (external)
[1]
‘Zimbabwe: Post Election Violence Increasing’, IRIN Africa, 10 April
2008: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77705.
[2] Violent
start to 'sham elections' in Burundi’, The Guardian, 29 June 2015: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/29/burundi-elections-violent-start-grenade-explosion.
