As Donald Trump continues his march toward the Republican National Convention, he has drawn the ire of the Republican establishment, the watchful eye of American and international media, and the attention of the Project on Explaining and Mitigating Electoral Violence at the University of Glasgow. Trump’s advance towards Cleveland has been marred by violence. One protestor at a Trump rally in Tucson, Arizona was beaten by Trump supporters while being escorted out of the rally. Another white Trump supporter assaulted an African American protestor at a Trump event in North Carolina. This same man was later recorded as saying that if he ever saw the protestor again, “we may have to kill him”. A Trump rally scheduled to take place in Chicago was cancelled due to worries that violence might … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2016
Does Election Violence Make Citizens Hate Democracy and Love Autocracy? Evidence from 19 Sub-Saharan African Countries
Written by: Inken von Boryskowski and Patrick Kuhn Most current research on electoral violence focuses on the causes and triggers of electoral violence, neglecting its consequences. Yet electoral violence has potentially important implications for democratic consolidation. Does election violence affect citizens’ political attitudes and behavior? If so, does pre-election violence make citizens reject democracy outright or merely the aspect of competitive leader selection? If it reduces support for democracy, does this mean that it strengthens support for autocratic forms of government? While human suffering alone is sufficient motivation to invest in election violence prevention and mitigation,[1] it is also important to understand the long-term consequences of such violence. In … [Read more...]
Uganda’s 2016 Elections: Violence and Democracy in Africa
Uganda’s February 18th election was a rote exercise; the outcome was never in doubt. According to a poll conducted in August 2015, 61 percent of Ugandans did not believe incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, would lose the election. And indeed, he did not. The Electoral Commission reported on February 20th that Museveni won with 60.7 percent of the vote. The electoral period has been tense. Voter intimidation and harassment have been rampant. The police detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye four times in eight days, keeping him under house arrest for several days directly after the results were announced. Protesters and opposition supporters have frequently been met with heavily armed security forces. Prior to the election, one person was killed and several were … [Read more...]
