The year 2008 is starting off as the year of elections. From news coverage on the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary to elections abroad, there is a plethora of news of election-related violence and voters’ attempt to effect change at the polls. While we tout the virtues of democracy and free elections and export them far and wide, elections have brought about both unexpected and unwanted change for the people of developing democracies.

In emerging democracies elections have been neither free nor fair because the ruling party regularly intimidated voters or employed vote rigging tactics. (Though we Americans have not exactly been the model of free and fair elections in light of the presidential elections in 2004 and, most notably, in 2000.) In Thailand, the People Power Party (PPP), made up of former members of the now disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, won 233 of 480 seats in the parliament, but only to have 65 PPP election winners face possible disqualification by Thailand’s Supreme Court for alleged voting irregularities. In Kenya, over 350 people died from post-election violence in which President Mwai Kibaki was accused by the opposition party of rigging the election in his favor. In Pakistan, the violence and civil unrest erupted after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto during her run up to the election and raised fears of a destabilized nuclear Pakistan. There was also heavy-handed crackdown against demonstrators who demanded the resignation of Georgia’s pro-western President Mikhail Saakashvili. After the civil unrest, Saakashvili called for elections and was easily re-elected. Internationals observers said the election was democratic.

What emerges from these elections is that the export of democracy does not come with directions on what to do when the government fails to provide free and fair elections. Far from creating open, accountable governments and peaceful transitions of power, democracy and elections have ironically led to demonstrations, violence and suspension of civil rights and free speech. However, these are the growing pains of a young democracy—without which—there would be nothing to compel political negotiation and power sharing arrangement among the disputing parties. The hope is one day, these countries would bypass the violence and the brutal crackdown and opt for a peaceful solution to resolving election disputes.