Challenges of Democratization in Developing Countries

Democracy is one of the common governance structures widely used in developed and developing countries, mainly due to its inclusion of citizens' voices in governance. Democracy allows citizens of a country to engage in political processes, and it promotes accountability and transparency, where elected leaders have to respond to electoral needs and, most importantly, protect the rights and freedoms of citizens. Despite its benefits, democracy in developing countries faces significant challenges of economic constraints, social divisions, and political culture, which are critical obstacles in developing a stable and effective governance structure.

One of the critical challenges of democratization in developing countries is economic constraints. Developing countries encounter economic difficulties, as demonstrated by high unemployment, high poverty levels, and a lack of a stable economy. Lack of employment and poverty have been the significant challenges of democratization in Africa; with 60% of people unemployed, political leaders take advantage of their situation and lure them into buying votes, limiting them from making free choices of their leaders (Ibrahim & Farouq, 2021). Additionally, these challenges significantly affect citizens' participation and support for public institutions. For instance, if citizens are economically distressed, there is a higher chance for them to be against public institutions of governance by perceiving them as failed governance that cannot adequately address their basic needs. These perceptions lead to a lack of support for democratic public institutions and, therefore, affect the effectiveness and stability of democratic governance. Thus, economic difficulties are a core obstacle that hinders developing countries from establishing effective democracy.

Another major challenge of democratization in developing countries is a weak democratic political culture. In developing countries, various factors have weakened political democracies, thereby affecting the stability and effectiveness of political democracy. A good example is the silencing of political and pressure groups to leave their roles of holding the leaders in government accountable (Ibrahim & Farouq, 2021). Such a political culture in Africa has made leaders disregard the principle of the rule of law and human rights, which hinders the exercise of democracy. Regular amendments to the constitution that favor political leaders and sideline the national interests of the public also make people feel left out on matters of democratic governance and discourage them from participating in political processes. In their study, Faye and Nzally (2022) indicate that Gambia made 54 constitutional amendments in 1997 in favor of government interests, and Zambia has made changes five times since they found independence in 1964. The culture of silencing opposition parties and pressure groups and making constitutional changes that do not favor the national interest of citizens contributes to weak political democracy. Therefore, weak political democratic culture in developing countries remains a critical challenge to democratization.

Social division is also another critical challenge of democratization in developing countries. The majority of developing countries face challenges of ethnic, religious, and regional divides. These social divisions result in conflict and even competition for power, hindering the efforts to establish a society where everyone feels part of an inclusive democracy. One study confirms this by indicating that countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, and the Ivory Coast political establishments favor particular ethnic groups, which is against the principles of equality and justice and undermines democracy through exclusion and inequality (Faye & Nzally, 2022). Based on this study, when people feel they are excluded and discriminated against based on factors such as ethnicity, they isolate themselves from democratic processes or supporting democratic institutions, which hinder democracy from thriving. Hence, social division remains a key democratization challenge in developing countries.

In summary, economic hurdles, weak political culture, and social divisions are some of the critical challenges that affect the implementation of democracy in developing countries. Economic challenges such as poverty and unemployment have led to cases of voter bribery, limiting the free choice of leaders, which has affected democracy. A weak political culture of silencing opposition, pressure groups, and constitutional amendments favoring political parties has also affected democratization. Lastly, social division is mostly based on ethnic, religious, and other divides, which have led to inequality and the creation of national unity to enhance the practice of democracy. Therefore, addressing these challenges can help to solve the increasing democratization challenges in developing countries.