Good morning, Congresswoman Bass, fellow panelists, members of the diplomatic corps and members of the public who have joined us. 

As I am sure all of you know, nowhere in the world is development such an important part of U.S. engagement as it is in Africa.  And today, Africans are the architects of their development, not just beneficiaries.  Donors support their plans, they do not dictate them. Citizens demand democracy, not autocracy, and they are seizing the opportunities to shape the future of their countries.  And, development work needs good governance if it is to fully succeed and last.

African elections, political processes, and governance will continue to take center stage and transform the continent in the coming decades.  In the past six years alone, USAID has worked to improve the credibility and conduct of elections in at least 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  We assist partners to build the institutional capacity of electoral commissions; strengthen political parties; promote peaceful, non-violent participation; among other assistance.  Much of this work is accomplished by supporting hundreds of civil society organizations and countless champions of reform in and outside of African governments to improve the transparency, accountability and quality of governance.  

Because I just returned from Nigeria, I’d like to focus my brief introductory remarks today on elections, because I believe they encapsulate the progress we’re making in supporting democracy, human rights and governance in the region.  I look forward to hearing others on the panel and in the audience sharing their perspectives. 

In Zambia’s recent election, USAID and other donors provided critical behind the scenes support to civil society, the electoral commission, and thousands of nonpartisan citizen-observers who monitored the conduct of the elections and carried out a sophisticated parallel vote tabulation, or PVT, that confirmed the official, close results.  Countless Zambian citizens were determined to make democracy work and strived tirelessly to put together a free, credible, and peaceful, nationwide election in record time after the unexpected death of President Sata.  

In Nigeria, USAID worked closely over several years with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development and a broad range of courageous Nigerian civil society activists to prepare for the recent national and state elections.   A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of accompanying Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Linda Thomas-Greenfield and other U.S. officials to observe the elections in Abuja. 

With lower levels of election-day and post-election violence, most of the Nigerians with whom we met felt the election process, despite its flaws, was credible and the results reflected the majority choice. On balance, domestic observers found the Election Day accreditation, voting, and counting processes credible and peaceful.  The Independent National Electoral Commission’s performance supported by our partner IFES was fundamental to this successful outcome, as were the efforts of the more than 3,000 domestic observers trained by our partner NDI to independent verify the results using a nationwide PVT.  These efforts have set the stage for the country’s first-ever civilian-led transfer of power at the national level and significant changes in the balance of power across Nigeria’s 36 state governments.

The Nigeria and Zambia elections represent a few examples where institutions and citizens have gradually transformed the rule of big men into democracies based on laws and best practices based on democratic principles like fairness, inclusion, and peaceful competition.  Yet we all realize that there are many countries still facing serious challenges in making this transition.  U.S. Government support alone cannot determine the success of an election, particularly when leaders ignore or rewrite the rules, or deliberately weaken their own institutions, to serve their own interests. 

Unfortunately, the “big men” old style of leaders still exist in some countries, like Zimbabwe and Sudan, with severe limitations on political freedoms and civil liberties that undermine the legitimacy of their elections.  We are also increasingly concerned about the threat of political violence in countries like Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose leaders appear to be backing away from earlier agreements about term limits, which were put into place as a means of mitigating conflict in one of the most volatile regions of the world.  And we are working with our African and other international partners to help the Central African Republic rebuild its own social and political systems after the explosion of violence last year that cost thousands of lives.   

Organizing and conducting credible, legitimate, and peaceful elections is not without its challenges.  One of the key lessons we’ve learned is that strong institutions and credible elections tend to be mutually reinforcing.  Elections are only one step in a long process that is required for true democratic transformation.  We aim for our electoral programs to contribute to the entire political process, not just on Election Day.  Indeed, sustained support for the process of democracy—from the halls of government in the capital to the village council, and across the full range of citizens groups and other independent voices in between—will be critical to creating and sustaining an environment where democracy can grow and thrive.

Thank you.  I look forward to your questions.