This overview provides an introduction to a study on The Political Cost of AIDS in Africa conducted by the South African democracy institute Idasa, and its research partners in different countries in Africa. It provides comprehensive empirical evidence of the impact HIV/AIDS is having on politics and the electoral process and demonstrates that the fledgling multi-party democracies in parts of the continent are being undermined by sickness, incapacity and premature deaths among elected leaders as well as within the electorate. The culmination of three years of exploratory research, the study shows how AIDS is interwoven with the continent's ambitions for deepening democracy. It is also available is an expanded companion volume, which provides the details of the study's research findings in separate chapters on Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Senegal and Zambia.

The challenge posed by AIDS to socioeconomic development has been widely researched and acknowledged, but the threat to politics has been less understood. This study demonstrates a number of far-reaching political implications of the pandemic: The First-Past-the-Post electoral system is being rendered economically unsustainable as deaths mount among relatively young elected leaders. Multiple by-elections to replace leaders carry political and economic costs. The loss of elected representatives often leaves districts without representation for long periods and distorts power relations in national parliaments. AIDS is used as a political weapon in the electoral arena; candidates perceived to be ill have been maligned and parties are reluctant to put forward candidates who are or appear to be HIV-positive. It is noted that not a single elected representative is on record as having contracted HIV, which contradicts mortality statistics presented in the book and unveils the extent of stigma amongst the political elite. Registered voter populations, particularly in the 30-49 age range, have been dying in unusually large numbers. People living with HIV/AIDS and their care-givers in rural areas face difficulties in voting due to illness, care-giving demands, logistics and stigma and discrimination. There are many deaths among teachers and policemen/women in particular, who are normally deployed as part-time support staff during elections, diminishing available skills and experience for managing elections.

This title illustrates the impact of HIV/AIDS on electoral processes in South Africa and provides evidence of the influence of the pandemic on the democratic process. It is part of an ongoing Africa-wide study by the Governance and AIDS programme of the institute for democracy in South Africa (IDASA). It does not equate elections with democracy nor does it reduce HIV/AIDS to a vote. Instead it provides empirical evidence of the effect of the biggest challenge facing Africa today and how it may shape the dynamics of our politics. It demonstrates that HIV/AIDS is not just a health crisis, but a pandemic that has implications for political and social processes. The analysis and results presented in this title show that HIV/AIDS may undermine the democratic project in South Africa and Africa by destabilising electoral systems; reducing political party support bases and the ability to compete; decreasing the participation in public policy processes of citizens infected and affected by the pandemic; and potentially undermining the capacity of electoral management bodies (EMB)s to conduct elections effectively.

The Political Cost of AIDS in Africa provides comprehensive empirical evidence of the impact HIV/AIDS is having on politics and the electoral process. The latest publication to come out of an extensive study by Idasa and its research partners, this book reveals that the fledgling multi-party democracies in parts of the continent are being undermined by sickness, incapacity and premature deaths among elected leaders as well as within the electorate. The book suggests innovative and holistic responses to address these problems. A culmination of three years of exploratory studies by African researchers working under the auspices of Idasa, it demonstrates how AIDS is interwoven with the continent's ambitions for deepening democracy. With chapters on Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Senegal and Zambia, this study investigates: the attrition among elected political leaders and the costs of replacing them; the loss of elected representatives, its effect on constituencies, and the power dynamics in parliamentary structures and in democratic governance; the failure to maintain voter registers and how it affects the credibility of electoral outcomes; the effect of stigma and discrimination on political participation.

Aids and Local Government in South Africa studies the impact of HIV/AIDS on the political system of 12 local municipalities in South Africa. This exploratory study by democracy institute Idasa investigates the epidemic's effect on accountability, effectiveness and legitimacy amongst directly elected councillors, against a back-drop of extreme dissatisfaction with local government performance by historically disadvantaged South Africans.