Democracy as a Fortuitous By-product of Independence UN Intervention and Democratization in Namibia

Abstract

Democratization of Namibia was a more or less fortuitous by-product of independence. Universal suffrage was the rallying cry in the racially dominated system of South African Apartheid rule in Namibia because it equalled independence. It was thus the participatory aspect of democracy which allowed the acceptance of a liberal constitution and a set of democratic institutions. Independence meant that the armed liberation movement simply took over the state. External UN intervention was still crucial in creating a level playing ground for the first free and fair elections. UNTAG success was helped by a clear Chapter VI mandate, decisive leadership, a thinly populated country, and a South African administration which was no longer controlled by hardliners. International negotiations over Resolution 435 started fifteen years before their implementation, and international actors were integral to keeping the parties to its promises. External actors thus played a major and supporting role in the background.