IT is a taken-for-granted fact that democracy should at all times be the basis for rule. The principle of ‘one man, one vote’ has long been enshrined in the constitutions of all democratic countries in the world and has now become an entrenched governance norm. This principle expresses the idea that individuals should have equal rights in terms of electing a government of their choice in free, fair and certified elections.

The term democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought in the city-state way back since the early days of Greek civilisation. Democracy is a necessary and indispensable ingredient for the proper functioning of society that few could argue against it as the best tool to ensure accountable and good governance.

Yet there are several countries where democracy is under stress and where attempts are being made to undermine democracy and the rule of law. The situation in Myanmar is a case in point, where an elected government was denied the right to govern by the military establishment in clear violation of the democratic principle of one man, one vote and the expressed will of the people of Myanmar.

Closer to our Region, the people of Peru are still to have the winner of a presidential run-off officially declared, even though elections for a new president and government took place on June 6, nearly three weeks ago. Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo has claimed victory but his rival, right wing candidate Keiko Fujimori is challenging the results of the poll which gave Castillo a slim margin of victory.

Castillo, a 51-year old school teacher has a lead of around 44,000 votes garnering 50.12 per cent of the votes as compared to Fujimori’s 49.87 per cent. She is now demanding the annulment of thousands of votes cast in favour of her rival, despite the fact that she is unable to substantiate any of the allegations made. Fujimori is the daughter of imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori who was President from 1990 to 2000.

The situation in Peru bears some resemblance to what took place in our own country when the then David Granger administration refused to concede defeat and insisted on a recount of the ballots, despite the fact that the Statements of Poll (SoPs) indicated that his party lost the elections by over 15,000 votes. It took over five months before the elections were finally declared by the Guyana Elections Commission in favour of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, but not before a long and protracted court battle and interventions by local and foreign observer groups, the diplomatic community and other stakeholder groups urging that the will of the electorate  be respected.

A not dissimilar situation obtained in the recent elections in the United States where former President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters challenged the results of the elections in several battleground states, which resulted in some ugly and unprecedented attacks on Capitol Hill.

One lesson from all these experiences is that democracy should not be taken for granted. In this regard, the importance of strong and independent national institutions must not be underestimated in ensuring that the will of the electorate is not hijacked by those who refuse to play by the democratic rules. The role of the judiciary, the Guyana Elections Commission, civil society and the diplomatic community is critical in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral processes and preventing the will of the people from being subverted by unscrupulous power-hungry elements.

It remains to be seen how the situation in Peru will unfold. One thing is clear, however. The days when the fundamental rights of people could be trampled upon with impunity are now becoming a thing of the past. The winds of democracy are blowing with much greater intensity and any attempt to subvert the will of the electorate will not be tolerated by democratic forces both within the country and by the international community.