Observations of U.S. elections

Free and fair elections are central to a successful democracy as are a strong constitution, free press, rule of law, equal justice and respect for human rights.  Nigeria’s return to democratic rule was greatly celebrated and the past thirteen years has raised hopes that it has come to stay.  However, democracy is not without its challenges and even those as old as the United States are a work in progress.

During the U.S. Presidential elections in November some young Nigerians had the opportunity to observe how elections are conducted in the U.S.  It was an exciting time for the young Samson Itodo and Blossom Nnodim, who recently shared their observations of the U.S. elections at a roundtable in Abuja.  Some of their observations include the following:

What Happens After Elections

With the votes still being counted on November 4, 2008, the two leading candidates for the U.S. presidency played their roles in the concluding act of an established political drama. The first to speak was the defeated candidate, John McCain.

His concession speech followed a time-honored rhetorical formula: “My friends, we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him … on being elected the next president of the country that we both love. Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”