Since 1990, the Commonwealth has deployed 87 election observation missions to 29 member countries.
Democracy in the Commonwealth has moved from rhetoric to reality
3 March 2010
CMAG is a major deterrent to countries violating the Commonwealth’s political values
A dozen Commonwealth countries have moved from one-party or military rule, to multi-party democracy since 1991, the same year Heads of Government adopted the Harare Declaration, which set out the association’s fundamental political values.
This indicates that democracy, according to the Commonwealth Secretariat’s chief political adviser, “is now much more of a defining feature of the Commonwealth and no longer a matter of rhetoric.”
Speaking to the Cambridge University Commonwealth Society, Amitav Banerji attributes this “leap from rhetoric to reality” to three key developments.
The first was when Commonwealth leaders suspended Nigeria from the association in 1995 after General Abacha’s military regime hanged Ken Saro-Wiwa and his fellow Ogoni activists, signalling that they meant business.
What is the 1991 Harare Declaration?
It is a landmark document which sets out the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth as:
- Democracy, democratic processes and institutions which reflect national circumstances, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, just and honest government;
- Fundamental human rights, including equal rights and opportunities for all citizens regardless of race, colour, creed or political belief.
The following day brought with it the second development, as Heads of Government adopted the Millbrook Action Programme, which provided “a sanctions regime in the event of ‘serious or persistent violations’ of the Harare principles,” Mr Banerji explained.
The final development was the creation by the Millbrook Action Programme of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), a rotating group of nine foreign ministers which was set up to assess the nature of any infringement of the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values and recommend measures for collective action from member countries.
“No other globally representative organisation has the equivalent of a CMAG,” Mr Banerji said. “That your peers can sit in judgement on your actions and apply sanctions against you is an extremely bold step to take, knowing full well that the spotlight could turn on them tomorrow.
“It is fair to say that because of CMAG it is no longer possible for any military or civilian overthrow of an elected government in the Commonwealth to take place without suspension from the councils being virtually automatic.
Affirmation of values
At the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port of Spain, leaders issued the Trinidad and Tobago Affirmation on Commonwealth Values and Principles, which reinforces the Commonwealth as a values-based organisation.
“But CMAG has felt constrained to act where there is no overt derogation from constitutionality but serious and persistent violations of Commonwealth values and principles have taken place. At their recent summit in Trinidad & Tobago, leaders endorsed a move by CMAG itself to determine, in consultation with the wider membership, how this key ministerial mechanism could be made more effective.”
As well as CMAG, Mr Banerji also highlighted key aspects of the Secretariat’s work which focus on building democracy, including the observation of elections as well as democratic institution and capacity building.
“Since 1990,” he said, “the Commonwealth has deployed 87 election observation missions to 29 member countries.”
These observer groups, made up of eminent and experienced people representing various disciplines, “make independent judgements on the credibility of elections and call it like it is.”
Click here to read the full speech
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