- Election boycott
An election boycott is the
boycott ing of anelection by a group of voters, each of whom abstains from voting.Boycotting may be used as a form of
political protest where voters feel thatelectoral fraud is likely, or that theelectoral system is biased against its candidates, or that thepolity organizing the election lacks legitimacy. In jurisdictions withcompulsory voting , a boycott may amount to an act ofcivil disobedience ; alternatively, supporters of the boycott may be able to castblank vote s or vote for "none of the above ". Boycotting voters may belong to a particular regional orethnic group . A particularpolitical party or candidate may refuse to run in the election and urges its supporters to boycott the vote.In the case of a
referendum , a boycott may be used as a voting tactic by opponents of the proposition. If the referendum requires a minimum turnout to be valid, the boycott may prevent thisquorum being reached.Major instances of electoral boycotts
*
Sierra Leonean general election, 1973
*Burkina Faso presidential election, 1991
*Ghanaian parliamentary election, 1992
*Togolese presidential election, 1993
*Côte d'Ivoire presidential election, 1995
*Cameroonian presidential election, 1997
*Malian presidential election, 1997
*Mauritanian presidential election, 1997
*Burkina Faso presidential election, 1998
*Algerian presidential election, 1999 (six of the seven candidates withdrew just before the election, citing fraud)
*Côte d'Ivoire presidential election, 2000
*Beninese presidential election, 2001
*Gambian parliamentary election, 2002
*Guinean presidential election, 2003
*Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2005 (swept by parties allied with PresidentHugo Chávez )
*Chadian presidential election, 2006 (boycotted by main opposition parties, though four relatively weak candidates remained on the ballot to challenge PresidentIdriss Déby Itno )
*Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2008 (swept by the pro-presidential coalition)ee also
*
abstention -- an individual not voting
*abstentionism -- running in an election to adeliberative assembly but refusing to take any seats won
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