“In recent years a spate of electoral-related conflicts in Africa has made the
quest for ‘peace’ predominate electoral processes, especially in situations
that hold substantial threats to peace and stability. The post-Cold War
democratisation process in most African countries has induced election related
risks and informed the resolve of the AU to uphold democracy without
jeopardising peace and stability. To this end, through the deployment of the
AU Panel of the Wise (PoW) in electoral processes, the AU has increasingly
engaged in preventive diplomacy in elections likely to cause instability
and violence. This policy briefing reviews some lessons learned from the involvement of the PoW as a key pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) in preventing election-related conflicts on the continent.”
