Declining democracy, institutional weaknesses and resurgence of praetorian rule in West Africa

Abstract

The decline of democracy in Africa has become a source of concern as an increasing percentage of the population experiences either fully or partially authoritarian or praetorian governance. In the last three years, West Africa has witnessed an unprecedented surge with five successful coups, including the one in Niger, surpassing any comparable period in the region over the past three decades. Additionally, an alleged coup plot in the Gambia underscores the pervasive institutional weaknesses and fragility among states in the West African sub-region. This paper examines the phenomenon of democratic decline, institutional weaknesses, and the resurgence of praetorian rule in West Africa. The theory of institutional weakness was used as guiding framework. The paper utilizes qualitative analysis primarily by adopting the narrative literature review as a research methodology. The narrative literature review is a form of research method that employs a qualitative approach to synthesize existing research on a specific topic drawing data from official documents, books, journals, newspapers, magazines, and other related sources.  Through a thorough review of relevant literature have pointed to weak institutional framework of the states to account for the the resurgence of praetorian rule in West Africa. The study proposes a set of recommendations to uphold democratic governance, reverse democratic decline, reinforce the institutional fabric of West African states, and curb unconstitutional changes in government through military coups. The research emphasizes the imperative of establishing robust and essential institutional structures and prerequisites to enhance effective governance, fostering stronger links between citizens and governing civil authorities. Emphasis is placed on preserving presidential term and age limits and instituting constitutional safeguards against opportunistic actions to prevent incumbents from exploiting systems for prolonged tenure.