Neo-Consensual Democracy: A Critical Analysis of its Theory and Practice

Neo-consensual democracy is a political theory that stands in place of consensual democracy, suggested by Kwasi Wiredu to replace majoritarian democracy. This theory seeks to balance in a complex contemporary African society the competing interests of different groups through a process of consensus-building. African societies with multi-ethnic groups practised consensual democracy in the pre-colonial era, which was replaced with Majoritarian democracy by the colonialists. Since the adoption of majoritarian democracy, Africa has faced different political issues ranging from political instability to ethnic and tribal clashes. These two major challenges are the result of the majority-minority dichotomy and the individualistic tendency created by majoritarian democracy. These challenges created division and poverty among Africans. Critics, however, argued that consensual democracy, as practised in pre-colonial Africa, cannot fit contemporary Africa due to its complex nature. The majority of Africans no longer live in their villages as they used to in pre-colonial settings; rather, more people now live in urban cities. The ideas of lineage heads, village councils, and village heads are no longer obtainable in most contemporary societies. This paper provides the theory and practice of neo-consensual democracy, which is a modification of consensual democracy. This paper also examines its strengths, weaknesses, and applicability to contemporary political contexts. However, this idea is prone to further development in terms of practical applications.