Commonwealth countries need a 'democracy health check'

By Mike Wooldridge
BBC world affairs correspondent

The Commonwealth secretary general is due at the Trinidad and Tobago talks

All Commonwealth countries should face a democracy "health check" at least every two years, a new report says.

The report, Democracy in the Commonwealth, says too many member countries failed to encourage or countenance open political competition.

The report's authors say it is time for a new impetus in the Commonwealth's commitment to promoting democracy.

It has been published the same week that Commonwealth heads of government meet in Trinidad and Tobago.

The report was commissioned by the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, part of the University of London, and a democracy assistance organisation, Electoral Reform International Services.

'Open societies'

The Commonwealth is a loose association of 53 former British colonies, dependencies and other territories - and Mozambique, which has no historical ties to Britain.

The struggle for democracy in the 21st century is not about imposing any particular model, this report says - it is about moving, often painfully, towards progressively more just and open societies.

The Commonwealth flag can be used by member countries

The report's authors say that although the Commonwealth has committed itself to making democracy a way of life, political competition - rather than taking place among parties - is too often between the state and the opposition.

It says that in this unequal contest the state media, the public service, the police and the judiciary and the intelligence service are all enlisted in pursuit of victory.

The report argues that a series of problematic polls, notably in Kenya and Zimbabwe, has reinforced doubts about the role of elections in resolving deep-seated problems of political transition.

It adds that negotiating some form of inclusive government after such troubled polls does not guarantee future progress.