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World Movement for Democracy’s Joburg gathering comes amid rising tide of rightwing populism

John Stremlau
By John Stremlau
3 Sep 2024
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This will likely be the most significant Global Assembly since the World Movement for Democracy was formed in 1999 as a network of civil society activists, scholars, parliamentarians, thought leaders, journalists, and funders who are trying to foster and sustain liberal democracy in countries around the world.

South Africa will host the 12th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Johannesburg from 20-22 November 2024. The timing is propitious for at least two reasons. 

South Africa’s national elections on 29 May were credible and peaceful, with the ruling African National Congress accepting the results, and which for the first time in three decades received a minority mandate of only 40% of the voters.

President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted the outcome, stressed the importance of adhering to the Constitution and set about forming a Government of National Unity (GNU). 

Although the GNU has not yet been adequately tested, the complex, difficult negotiations respected the tight deadlines of the Constitution, and the result was racially and ethnically diverse.

The South African example sets a high standard for judging other democratic elections. It will be of great interest and debate among delegates at the 12th Global Assembly.

A second reason this assembly is propitious is that more people globally will have voted in 2024 than ever before, in over 60 countries. Twenty are in Africa. We know that too few states have free and fair elections, which is another good reason for this meeting committed to strengthening democracy to convene in Johannesburg.

And it will be held two weeks after elections in the world’s oldest democracy, the United States. Incumbent president Joe Biden’s surprise withdrawal on 21 July 2024 leaves Republican Donald Trump running against a younger Kamala Harris, a black woman and the daughter of immigrants; her father from Jamaica and her mother from India.

It will be a seminal election, testing whether America can become, in the words of South Africa’s Constitution, a country that “belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity”.

For all of the above reasons, this will likely be the most significant Global Assembly since the World Movement for Democracy was formed in 1999 as a network of civil society activists, scholars, parliamentarians, thought leaders, journalists, and funders who are trying to foster and sustain liberal democracy in countries around the world.

Universal values


The Global Assembly will serve as a counterpoint to the nearly two decades of rising authoritarianism, where in many countries periodic elections are held, but are of little democratic significance, according to the Freedom House 2024 global survey.

About 500 democracy activists from nearly 100 countries are expected to attend this year’s Assembly. South Africa was chosen, back in February – more than four months ahead of its expected democratic election – because, according to the announcement, “it has been a global inspiration for freedom and justice”.

Chairperson Maria Ressa will be attending and is widely admired here and globally. She is a courageous Philippine journalist, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. When she announced in February the Assembly’s 2024 theme – Revitalising Democracy: Reflection, Resilience, and Innovation – she declared the November meeting would aim “to find hope and strength, learn from each other, and build the future we want”. 

They had faith in South African democracy then, and the integrity of the May election reaffirmed that belief.

The theme was chosen by a steering committee of about 25 women and men from a diversity of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America.

Many are from former colonies of Western European and Soviet empires, countries that gained independence since the 1950s, and now hold regular elections, although too many are electoral autocracies. Global secretariat services have been provided since 1999 by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington, DC. 

Host partners of the 2024 Assembly include several prominent South African NGOs: Ahmed Kathrada Foundation; Defend Our Democracy;  Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation; Human Rights Institute of South Africa; In Transformation Initiative and the Ronnie Mamoepa Foundation.

Past and present dangers


South Africa, like many other democracies, is trying to recover from nine years (2009-2018) of populist misrule.  The Zondo Commission has carefully detailed the extent of corruption or State Capture. Jacob Zuma, who was president at the time, tried to prevent its establishment, but the courts defied him.

Zuma again threatened SA’s liberal democracy with his rapidly formed populist party, uMkhonto Wesizwe ahead of the 2024 election. Ironically, this set the stage for the ANC to forge a remarkable coalition with the second largest party, the predominantly white Democratic Alliance (DA) and the agreement to pursue a Government of National Unity that now includes at least eight smaller parties. How this coalition came about and its achievements, if any, could be a useful reference for the 12th Assembly. 

All democracies are subject to the vagaries of personalities and historical circumstances at home and abroad. South Africa and America have many similar experiences overcoming white racial nationalism that have afflicted both since the mid-17th century, although racial ratios obviously differ. 

How the two nations are currently dealing in 2024 with this and other democratic deficits will likely be subjects of at least informal talks during the Assembly, for there are intriguing parallels between the principal protagonists and traditional populists Jacob Zuma and Donald Trump.

Partisan conflict between traditionalists and reformers, also known as ethnic vs civic nationalists, is dividing many countries. 

Looking ahead


In addition to South Africa and America, and ahead of the 20-22 November meeting of the World Movement for Democracy, there will have been several other critical elections, some with surprising results, which are likely to be hotly debated by this gathering of liberal-democracy activists.

Shifting political fault lines between traditionalists and reformers have been evident in Western Europe, India, East Asia, and North and South America. 

Prospects are good that this gathering in Johannesburg, focused on the ways and means of revitalising democracy, will be as timely and important a gathering as the hosts believe it will be. DM

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