Jonathan advocates Swiss-style collective presidency for Africa

From Paul  Orude Bauchi

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has urged African countries to consider adapting elements of Switzerland’s system of government to prevent excessive concentration of political power in the hands of one president.

Jonathan made the suggestion on Tuesday while delivering a vote of thanks at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) Democracy Dialogue, held at the Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre (ICC), Bauchi.

The dialogue, themed “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and Judiciary Save African Democracy?”, brought together stakeholders to examine the challenges confronting democracy on the continent.

Speaking on the need to develop democratic systems that reflect Africa’s diverse histories, cultures and political realities, Jonathan said there was no single model of democracy that could be applied uniformly across all African countries.

He specifically pointed to Switzerland as a possible source of lessons for countries struggling with excessive concentration of executive power.

“At the top level of the presidency, perhaps the Swiss model, where you don’t have one powerful President, may be the best for some African countries,” Jonathan said.

He explained that Switzerland operates a system in which executive authority is exercised collectively rather than concentrated in one individual, making it more difficult for a single leader to take far-reaching decisions without consultation.

Jonathan recalled that, while serving as Vice President, he had observed the wisdom behind limiting the amount of power available to one individual.

“I remember when I was Vice President, I once said that their forefathers believed that when one person has so much power, it is dangerous to society,” he recalled.

The former President warned that the concentration of enormous political powers in the hands of individual leaders could weaken democratic institutions and create serious risks for governance.

Jonathan therefore challenged African countries to critically examine the democratic systems they currently practise and develop approaches that are suited to their own political realities while retaining the fundamental principles of democracy.

He stressed that democracy should guarantee justice, equality, human rights, accountability, transparency and the freedom of citizens to participate meaningfully in political processes.

Jonathan also cautioned against measuring democracy principally by the conduct of elections, arguing that elections are only one component of a functioning democratic system.

He cited the 2024 Afrobarometer survey covering 39 African countries, which, according to him, showed that more than 70 per cent of respondents preferred democracy, while satisfaction with the way democracy was being practised remained considerably lower in many countries.

“This clearly shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with our democracy,” he said.

He called for an independent judiciary free from executive interference and legislatures with sufficient independence to effectively perform their oversight functions.

The former President further identified freedom of speech, religion, assembly and the press as essential pillars of democratic governance, warning that there could be no meaningful democracy where citizens were gagged or the civic space was deliberately restricted.

He also emphasised the importance of credible elections, political pluralism and the protection of minority voices.

Jonathan maintained that opposition and minority groups must be allowed to express divergent views and participate meaningfully in public discourse, stressing that democracy cannot thrive when dissenting voices are silenced.