ELECTORAL MANIPUTIONS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE LEGITIMACY OF ELECTIONS (THE ROLE OF INEC)
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Abstract
Universally, election is regarded as the heart of representative democracy. A
credible election not only confers legitimacy on political leadership, it is also crucial to the
sustenance of democratic order. Election provides citizens with the freedom to choose their
rulers and to decide on public policy. Under any democratic system, citizens who are
legally qualified to exercise franchise are provided with opportunity to choose political
alternatives and to make decisions that express their preferences. In a multi-party politics,
this choice is made out of the several parties and candidates competing in the electoral
market. In all democracies, election performs several functions: it is an instrument through
which the voting public compels accountability from elected officials; it facilitates political
recruitment; it enables citizens to make enlightened choices; and it confers moral authority
on political leaders. Election represents the lifeblood of modern democracy and the
frequency, fairness and openness of such election are crucial to the political stability of the
polity. The extent to which election advances democratic order depends in large part on the
existing electoral system, its nature and its acceptance by the stakeholders in the electoral
process. The choice of a particular electoral system does not only have a profound effect on
the political life of a country, it also distributes costs and benefits to political actors i.e. political parties and candidates. Designing a credible and inclusive electoral regime is a necessary enterprise in all democracies whether transitional or consolidated. While for the
former, the challenge is to design an electoral regime that suits their social and historical
conditions, for the latter, it is to re-craft their electoral systems to respond to new political
realities and challenges. The existence of a viable electoral system is crucial to the survival
of any democracy. This is even more so in a country like Nigeria where access to the state
and its resource allocating powers is viewed as the means of guaranteeing one's economic
security.
credible election not only confers legitimacy on political leadership, it is also crucial to the
sustenance of democratic order. Election provides citizens with the freedom to choose their
rulers and to decide on public policy. Under any democratic system, citizens who are
legally qualified to exercise franchise are provided with opportunity to choose political
alternatives and to make decisions that express their preferences. In a multi-party politics,
this choice is made out of the several parties and candidates competing in the electoral
market. In all democracies, election performs several functions: it is an instrument through
which the voting public compels accountability from elected officials; it facilitates political
recruitment; it enables citizens to make enlightened choices; and it confers moral authority
on political leaders. Election represents the lifeblood of modern democracy and the
frequency, fairness and openness of such election are crucial to the political stability of the
polity. The extent to which election advances democratic order depends in large part on the
existing electoral system, its nature and its acceptance by the stakeholders in the electoral
process. The choice of a particular electoral system does not only have a profound effect on
the political life of a country, it also distributes costs and benefits to political actors i.e. political parties and candidates. Designing a credible and inclusive electoral regime is a necessary enterprise in all democracies whether transitional or consolidated. While for the
former, the challenge is to design an electoral regime that suits their social and historical
conditions, for the latter, it is to re-craft their electoral systems to respond to new political
realities and challenges. The existence of a viable electoral system is crucial to the survival
of any democracy. This is even more so in a country like Nigeria where access to the state
and its resource allocating powers is viewed as the means of guaranteeing one's economic
security.
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