The Stolen Election

Who Stole my Vote !

We start back in the 1876 , Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden were in the running for the presidential elections. Both sides mounted mud-slinging campaigns, with Democratic attacks on Republican corruption being countered by Republicans raising the Civil War issue. In the voting Samuel J. Tilden outpolled Rutherford B. Hayes by 184 electoral votes to 165 with 20 votes uncounted. These 20 votes were disputed and caused one of the most disputed and controversial presidential elections in American history. In the end the 20 disputed electoral votes were ultimately awarded to Hayes after bitter legal and political battles. These 20 votes giving him the victory.This was done through an informal deal which required the Republicans to withdraw federal troops from the South.

Rutherford B. Hayes

Samuel J. Tilden

Was this a once off ? Are elections now clear cut, easy to predict and never have disputes ? Most certainly not! While it may be obvious that they are not and while you may think you understand the mechanics of elections I would like to just provide a few examples of these electoral disputes over the last few years.

1. South Africa 1994
South Africa went through some difficult times before 1994 with racism and violence being common. Between 1990 and 1994 there was political tension and destabilisation that caused great difficulties with respect to the voting.  There were obviously going to be disputes and disagreements but in South Africa the political situation was dire. To give you some indication I found the following death toll that was poltically related:

•  Run-up to the elections (July 1993 to April 1994) - 452 killed
•  Post-election months (May 1994 to December 1994) - 106 killed
•  Year of 1995 (January to December) - 75 killed
•  Year of 1996 (January to December) - 42 killed

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Please note the general pictures from this time are far to graphic to display. So instead I display Nelson Mandela who won the 1994 elections .

There is so much more about this period that could be said and I am sure in future Posts I will sometime get to events that happened in this period as well. But the above figures just show the state of the worlds political status and how politics and elections are rife with disputes and disagreement.

2. Nigeria 2011
(Dakar)  Deadly election-related and communal violence in northern Nigeria following the April 2011 presidential voting left more than 800 people dead. Violence began with widespread protests by supporters of the main opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari, after the re-election of Goodluck Jonathan. The shocking thing was that it was reported as one of the fairest elections in Nigerian history , and yet it was still one of the most violent. So even when the voting is done correctly and is fair , elections still cause conflict and disagreements.

The 2011 elections were not the only disputed and contravesial elections in Nigeria. The following was said about the 1999 election:
" The 1999 elections, which brought a retired general, Olusegun Obasanjo, to power, were blighted by such widespread fraud that observers from the Carter Center concluded that "it is not possible for us to make an accurate judgment about the outcome of the presidential election." view source

3. Kenya 2007
Kenya suffered weeks of ethnic bloodshed after President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election at the end of 2007. The violence that followed was fueled by the results being announced late due to discrepancies and disputes .More than 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands fled their homes. Those that could, fled to Uganda.What further fueled these riots and disputes was unresolved issues over property that goes back till the colonial period. Why was this, well politicians exploited land redistribution for some of there politcal campaigns.
What country/individual used a currently disuputed and violent issue to gain support and votes. Is that not using a controversial issue to win a controversial presidency ?

The above three are some of the more recent events in our history where there has been controversy and disputes over elections and the presidency. Just at a high glance if it interests you some of the other countries that have experienced electoral difficulties include Zanzibar and  Ivory Coast, there are many other countries that have experienced political violence not around elections but just in general with the political standing in the country. There is a great table included in Major Episodes of Political Violence 1946-2012.
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The question this brings us to ask is, we all fight for freedom , we all want our country to be the best it can be but yet when we vote no body likes the outcome and there is always violence and disputes. The thing about elections is that there is always going to at least one loser. Don't the people voting realise that? Unless there is only one candidate somebody is going to lose!  Is there really a need for the political violence especially around the elections ? I personally think there is , for me living in South Africa that is real for me. Without certain political unrest and political violence the country would not be at the point it is now. But in other situations in a stable country where , is there really need for the political violence? The 3 I have given above are all countries that are/were unstable economically and politically. But in other stable countries what does the violence achieve?

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