The elections will be an indicator of the status of democratic development ten years on. More importantly, the proximity of the events provides space for a region genuinely committed to a shared agenda of integration, to take stock of each member state’s commitment to the tenets of democracy and good governance.

The process begins with Malawi on 25 May, a country that produced some of the most highly competitive legislative elections five years ago. South Africa follows on 2 June and will provide a further insight into the workings of the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system which a growing number of political players in the region are beginning to favour.

In the 1994 elections, President Bakili Muluzi’s United Democratic Front (UDF), took 48 percent of the seats with 46 percent of the votes, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) 32 percent of the seats with 34 votes, and the Alliance For Democracy (AFORD) 20 percent of the seats with 19 percent votes. This translated into 85 seats for UDF, 56 MCP and 36 AFORD.

In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) is set to dominate the elections as it did in 1994. The issue now is whether the minority-based parties can prevent the ANC from obtaining a two-thirds majority in parliament which will allow it to change the constitution without reference to the opposition.

Under the List-PR electoral system, the smaller parties were able to gain seats in parliament. Seven parties in all were represented based on the percentage vote claimed.

President Mandela, who led the ANC to the historic victory in the 1994 first democratic elections, retires from active politics after the elections in June.

In addition to the parties that were in the 1994 elections, more new opposition parties will be contesting the June 1999 elections, notably the United Democratic Front (UDM) of former ANC member Bantu Holomisa and former NP leader Rolf Meyer.

President Festus Mogae, who took over from former president Sir Kethumile Masire in a smooth transfer of power in 1998, will lead the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) into the next elections expected in early October this year. The ruling party has been in power since independence from British rule in 1966.

Namibia, which won its independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, is looking forward to its second presidential and legislative elections this year. The last elections, won by the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO), were held in 1994.

In late October or early November, Mozambique is expected to hold its second general elections after the devastating civil war which ended in 1992. The last elections were held in 1994 and were won by Frelimo.

The ruling party, headed by President Joaquim Chissano, will contest the coming elections against a host of opposition parties led by Renamo, the former rebel force.

Angola was supposed to have gone to polls in 1995, but political instability in the country resulted in an indefinite postponement. With the renewed fighting between government forces and the rebel movement, Unita, it may not be possible to hold immediate elections in Angola.

On assuming power in 1997, after ousting the late dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, President Laurent Kabila had said his country would hold elections by June this year. However, like Angola, the ongoing war between the DRC government and Rwanda/Uganda-backed rebels has put into doubt any immediate elections.