Two months after Nigeria held what has been termed the most controversial election in recent times, its counterpart in the south of the continent gets ready to decide its fate in a similar fashion.
Nigeria’s elections suffered major setbacks from its sudden postponement to widespread reports of violence and electoral malpractice, marring the exercise.
South Africa, on the other hand, is no stranger to the controversy around elections as the current president’s ascent was motivated by the resignation of former President Jacob Zuma, who notoriously left office following public outcry over his ineptitude and unprecedented levels of corruption.
As both countries are African powerhouses where elections take place this year, we explore some of the key electoral differences and similarities between the Western and southern countries.
Voting Technology
Prior to the 2019 Nigerian general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act, where the use of card readers was solidified, placed the credibility of the elections on shaky ground. Despite this setback, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reassured citizens that the card readers would still be used. While this initially marked a win for the electoral process in the country, it contributed to the poor conduct of the polls as most card readers malfunctioned on Election Day.
While Nigerians at home struggled with faulty card readers, Nigerians in the diaspora were unable to vote at all. South Africa, on the other hand, appears to be toeing in the same line as the US, by allowing its citizens across the diaspora participate in the upcoming elections.
As part of the 2013 South African Electoral Amendment Act, eligible voters living abroad have the right to take part in the electoral process. This will help in ensuring that all South African people, regardless of their location, receive equal representation in the polls.
Voter Population
In 2017, South Africa recorded a population of over 56 million residents, less than half of Nigeria’s estimated 190 million residents. Despite the differences in total population, both countries have produced a similar number of registered voters.
According to INEC, 84,004,084 Nigerians registered for the 2019 general elections, representing 44.2 percent of the country’s total population. In South Africa, 26,744,440 citizens registered for the upcoming elections, representing 46.4 percent of the total population.
With youths constituting a large share of the population in both countries, their similar failures in registering less than half of the total population show poor participation in the electoral process.
Political Parties
In Nigeria, the election was mainly a two-horse race between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Despite being the biggest and most well-known parties in the state, 73 other political parties appeared on the ballot paper.
South Africans, however, are set to choose a leading party from the staggering 285 parties that have already registered with the country’s electoral umpire, the IEC.
Proportional Representation and Tenures
In Nigeria, citizens determine the president by a simple majority of votes recorded during the election. Through this method, President Muhammadu Buhari won a second term after polling 15,191,847 votes against first runner-up Atiku, who recorded 11,262,978 votes.
However, the South Africa presidency is determined by voting carried out by the lower house of parliament and is often the leader of the largest party, based on a system called proportional representation.
This system came into place following the ratification of the 1994 constitution and was responsible for Nelson Mandela’s election into office.
While the Nigerian presidency lasts for a period of 4 years, the next South African president will have tenure of 5 years.
South Africa’s general election is set to take place on Wednesday, May 8.
