{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:42:52Z","timestamp":1792669372503,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Koozakar LLC","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["AJSPIM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Electoral accountability and good governance are widely recognized as critical institutional foundations for sustainable economic development in Africa, as they shape political incentives, state capacity, and the effectiveness of public policy. In principle, competitive elections enhance leadership accountability, strengthen state legitimacy, and promote rule-based governance. However, in many fragile African states, persistent institutional weaknesses significantly constrain the capacity of elections to function as effective mechanisms of democratic control and economic governance. This study examines the relationship between electoral accountability and governance outcomes in fragile contexts, with a specific focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the period preceding its 2028 national elections. Drawing on comparative insights from African states experiencing recurrent electoral crises, the study analyses how structural governance deficits, including institutional fragility, elite capture, weak rule of law, electoral violence, and administrative incapacity undermine electoral processes and weaken accountability. Using a qualitative, governance-centred analytical framework, the research assesses the conditions under which elections either reinforce or erode democratic accountability. The findings indicate that dysfunctional electoral management institutions, contested electoral outcomes, and declining civic trust diminish citizen participation and dilute the sanctioning power of elections, thereby constraining governance performance and development outcomes. In the DRC, these dynamics are amplified by a legacy of conflict, centralized political power, and chronic governance failures. The study concludes that without substantive governance reforms, elections risk remaining procedural rather than transformative, limiting their contribution to democratic consolidation and sustainable development in fragile African States.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.69798\/53550674","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:22:11Z","timestamp":1792668131000},"page":"19-37","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Electoral Accountability and Governance Challenges in Dysfunctional African States: Lessons for the Democratic Republic of Congo's 2028 National Elections"],"prefix":"10.69798","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6266-764X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eustache","family":"Kikasu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Durban University of Technology, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nirmala","family":"Dorasamy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Durban University of Technology, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"50185","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"container-title":["African Journal of Science Policy and Innovation Management"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:22:12Z","timestamp":1792668132000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/koozakar.com\/journals\/article\/KJ-48670883"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.69798\/53550674","relation":{},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]}}}