TheCable

Former President Goodluck Jonathan says improving the standard of elections in Africa will encourage people use their votes to remove bad leaders.

Speaking to the SABC News at the Independent Electoral Commission’s Results Operation Centre in Pretoria, Jonathan said the electoral umpire plays an important role in ensuring safe and successful elections.

The former president, who is leading an observer mission of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) to monitor the South Africa’s general election scheduled for May 8, said his team is confident in the electoral process according to what they have observed.

“This year’s election appears to be one of the strongly contested elections so far in the history of SA democracy and everybody is interested in the outcome. We have observed some of the rallies and we are quite comfortable how things are going,” Jonathan said.

“The key thing about elections is the body managing the election and of course the security, the police. If the stakeholders, the political parties have confidence in these two organisations, then of course we are quite hopeful.

“I have gone to many African nations as leader of different observation missions including the Commonwealth, African Union, National Democratic Institute, and of course EISA and I am quite impressed and hopeful that the standard of managing of our elections will continue to improve.

“I believe that if we improve our standard of elections, we will get to that point where people, using their vote, can remove a leader they feel is not leading them well.”

Jonathan said governance has nothing to do with age, adding that young people have a role to play in driving new trends in information technology and knowledge-based economy.

“Good leadership does not depend on age alone. It has to do with the individual. The key thing is being able to lead your country well,” he said.