The African Union and the promotion of democracy and good political governance under the African Peer-Review Mechanism: 10 years on

Abstract

In May 2013, the African Union (AU) commemorated both the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity and the 10th anniversary of the African Peer-Review Mechanism (APRM). Democracy and good political governance features prominently in the AU Constitutive Act and constitute the first thematic area under the APRM. The AU adopted several other instruments aimed at promoting democracy and good political governance among its member states. These include the New Partnership for Africa's Development (APRM) base document, its Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance which governs the APRM, the African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and the African Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance. As Africa celebrates a decade of both the AU and the APRM, this article revisits democracy and good political governance from an African legal and political perspective. It also assesses AU Member States' compliance with the APRM and their achievements on the road to democracy and good political governance. It finally looks at the challenges and prospects for democracy and good political governance on a continent that has suffered several decades of authoritarianism and mal governance.