A majority of Africans say they would accept a military takeover of government if elected leaders were abusing power, a survey carried out across 39 countries showed.
Two-thirds of those questioned said military intervention is undesirable as a default method of rule, Afrobarometer said of the findings of its survey. Its publication comes as faith in democracy slumps across the continent and concerns over corruption rise.
A number of democratically elected leaders in West Africa have been thrown out of power by the military, young Kenyans have revolted against their government and a former South African president questioned the fairness of an election in May without providing evidence for his assertions.
“Africa’s democratic project faces challenging times,” Afrobarometer in its African Insights 2024 report. “Since 2020, soldiers have pushed out elected governments in six countries. Three presidents have defied constitutional limits to claim third terms in office. Other leaders use subtler means to erode democracy.”
More than 80% of those surveyed in Mali said the military should take over if elected rulers aren’t acting in the interests of their citizens. There were also high levels of support for army intervention in Tunisia and Ivory Coast, and 53% of those surveyed across the continent backed the concept.
While large majorities of those surveyed rejected the idea of one-man or one party rule, support for democracy slumped by seven percentage points across 30 counties that Accra, Ghana-based Afrobarometer surveyed consistently over the last decade.
In corruption-plagued South Africa, where government services have deteriorated, support for democracy declined by 29 percentage points in the decade to 2023 to 43%. In Mali, which is ruled by the military, it fell 23 percentage points to 39%.
On average, 58% of those surveyed across all 39 countries said that corruption had worsened over the past year with those in Eswatini, South Africa and Lesotho the most concerned. People in Gabon, Eswatini and Ethiopia had the least faith in the fairness of their elections.
A desire for democratic rule was was strongest in Zambia and Ethiopia.
“While there is still a deep well of democratic support on the continent, it is not a bottomless one,” Afrobarometer said. “Failure to deliver democratic and accountable governance threatens to undermine Africa’s democratic project and leave citizens increasingly disappointed in, and at odds with, political authorities.”
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