SMG STATEMENT ON THE ELECTORAL CRISIS IN AFRICA

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The Accra Collective of the Socialist Movement of Ghana (SMG) notes with deep concern the growing
wave of electoral fraud, constitutional manipulation, and abuse of state power spreading across several African countries. These developments threaten the democratic aspirations of the African people and the stability of the continent.

In recent months, elections in countries such as Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania have been marred by widespread irregularities, repression, and restrictions on political participation. The October 2025 presidential election in Cameroon revealed a deepening crisis of legitimacy within the country’s political system. President Paul Biya’s continued hold on power, extending over four decades, was reaffirmed through an electoral process characterised by restricted civic freedoms, allegations of ballot manipulation, and the intimidation of opposition voices. The partisan control of electoral institutions and the security forces’ repressive response to post-election protests further undermine public confidence in the declared results.

Across the continent, ruling elites have turned elections into tools for preserving power rather than instruments for expressing the popular will. These elites, largely serving the interests of global capital, manipulate constitutions, deploy security forces to silence opposition, and exploit state resources to maintain control. This situation reflects not isolated acts of misconduct, but a systemic failure rooted in Africa’s continuing subordination to neocolonial structures.

The Accra Collective of the Socialist Movement of Ghana condemns the silence and complicity of regional and continental bodies, including the African Union and sub-regional organisations, which have failed to enforce even the minimum standards of democratic accountability. Their repeated endorsement of flawed electoral outcomes erodes public trust and weakens Africa’s collective capacity to defend the rights of its people.

We reject the narrow framework of bourgeois democracy, a system that commodifies politics, entrenches corruption, and transforms public office into a privilege for a few. This form of governance cannot deliver liberation, equity, or genuine development. We recognise that the struggle for transparent and accountable elections remains an arena for building popular consciousness and organisation. It must therefore be linked to the broader struggle for people’s power and economic transformation. True democracy must rest on popular sovereignty, where power flows from the organised masses and not from the boardrooms of multinational corporations or the dictates of imperial powers. The people must have the liberty to participate continuously in political and economic decision-making, and not merely through periodic elections.

The deepening democratic crisis across the continent reflects the urgent need to forge Pan-African unity rooted in the principles of scientific socialism. To move forward, we must transcend the artificial borders imposed by colonialism that continue to divide our people and weaken our collective resistance to imperialism. True independence and development for Africa can only be realised through continental integration, founded on popular ownership and control of our shared resources.

Our collective stands in solidarity with progressive forces and people’s movements across Africa that
continue to resist elite domination and neocolonial control. The future of Africa rests in the hands of its people, organised, conscious, and united in the struggle for popular democracy and continental liberation.

Signed.

Blaise Tulo
Convener,
Accra Collective – SMG

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