The HIV/AIDS Focus On is based on a report developed by Kondwani Chirambo at IDASA (The Institute for Democracy in South Africa). It was compiled and further enriched with external sources by Johan Lindroth, whilst on secondment to International IDEA.
Since HIV/AIDS was first discovered in 1981 more than 20 million people have died from AIDS, and today one person is infected with HIV every five seconds. Africa is the continent worst stricken by HIV/AIDS, and Asia and Eastern Europe are experiencing a terrifying increase in the number of persons infected with the virus.
The IDASA research project had the objective of investigating the probable impact of HIV-AIDS on electoral processes as a key facet of the democratisation process in Africa. The rationale is that democracy requires strong institutions and the full participation of citizens in political, social and economic life to be sustainable. The main message from the research report is that the legitimacy and effectiveness of the South African democracy and its electoral processes risk being undermined by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
On behalf of IDASA we would like to thank the following persons and institutions for their cooperation and support: the Rockefeller Brother Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa, Citizen Surveys, the Electoral Institute of South Africa, Derek Davids, Mary Caesar, Marietjtie Myburg, Vasanthie Naicker, Shaila Gupta, Paul Graham, and People Living with HIV/AIDS and care givers who supported the project.
