By contrast, Liberia's elections a few years ago were broadly accepted as free and fair, yet the Taylor government is still often treated as a pariah. The Ugandan government, which came to power after a bloody civil war and does not even permit opposition political parties, has been held up as a model of good governance. Only Benin and Mauritius have enjoyed an actual peaceful alternation of power from one government to its opposition through elections. Most other elections have retained the dominant party in power, often the same leaders that had formerly ruled as dictators. In 2000, elections are scheduled in Zimbabwe, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
International participants welcome.
This book examines the state of progress of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of the 1990s. Lee Hamilton is the Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Until his retirement from the U.S. Congress in 1998, he served for 34 years as the U.S.Representative from Indiana's 9th Congressional District. From 1992-94 he was Chairman of the House International Relations Committee. Mr. Gerson serves as President and CEO of Guardian International Corp., the international arm of the Guardian group of companies, a major multinational manufacturing and entertainment conglomerate.