Zed Books Election Observation at a Crossroads: Perspectives from Africa

This groundbreaking collection offers the first book-length contribution to ongoing debates around how election observation can best support genuine democratic elections in Africa. In a three-part structure covering international observers, their domestic counterparts, and the consequences of observation, the chapters of Election Observation at a Crossroads draw on a range of methodologies rooted in deep, field-based research to offer detailed looks at election observation in ten African countries. All of this is articulated by predominantly African country-experts hailing from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds, all of whom are gathered together by Thomas Molony, one of very few academics with extensive work experience of election observation in Africa. This variety of coverage and perspectives, combined with the book’s various methodologies, sheds new light on concerning shifts in the relationship between African organisations and their Western counterparts, on questions over the credibility and independence of citizen observation groups, and on assumptions about the influence of election observation on democracy in Africa. Cumulatively, these insights add up to important, unique contributions to ongoing debates about the neo-imperial dimensions of international election observation, not just within Africa, but also in other parts of the Global South. For its sole focus on Africa, its broad geographical coverage within Africa, and its significance for wider debates around international election observation, Election Observation at a Crossroads: Perspectives from Africa is a must-read for students, researchers, and policymakers interested in African politics and development, as well as for those interested in African studies, development, and politics and international relations more generally.