Coming from a continent where democracy is still in transition, or non- existent, I am quite privileged so far to have experienced two presidential elections in the USA. In 1980, I had just started my journalism career when, what I thought was a lifetime grand opportunity popped up, for me to visit the great nation for a study tour dubbed "African young leaders' cultural exchange program."

Sponsored by Operation Crossroads Africa, we were a chaotic and mismatch of 43 journalists from the African continent. When the tour came to an end, the presidential campaigns for that year had been flagged off. I was one of the journalists selected to stay on and monitor the campaigns. This was overwhelming for me. I saw Jimmy Carter weeping after he lost to Ronald Reagan. And, at the end, I was one of the three outstanding journalists - Uganda, Mauritius, and Nigeria - picked for a VOA television program to give "the African perspective of the election process and the policy implications of the Republican victory to Africa."

By some sheer coincidence, the just- concluded historic 2008 presidential elections found me in the US, this time as a doctoral student. Again, a grand opportunity opened for me to witness the presidential electoral process in this free world.

I do not want to compare the election process here to what normally happens in Africa. To do that would amount to comparing oranges and apples. But let me just give a small glimpse into the African electoral process:

• The seating president appoints the election officials. Therefore they owe him allegiance.

• The incumbent president, who is also a candidate, normally locks out rivaling parties and competes against himself. You may recall what happened in Zimbabwe this year.

• Opposition members are intimidated, imprisoned, or even killed. In the last elections in Uganda, a leading opposition candidate signed his nomination papers when he was in prison and was allowed to campaign nationally for only three weeks.

Barack Obama won with a big margin, and yet his percentage was only 50 something. In Africa, the winner usually must get over 90- 100 percent to prove his "popularity."

• Opposition members are labeled arch enemies to be closely watched, threatened, and mistreated at the slightest provocation. When it comes to dispensing political goodies, only supporters of a party are rewarded for the votes while the others become outcasts and left to starve in the cold, whether taxpayers or not. There are no concession speeches or congratulatory messages because elections are always stolen.

What I admire most in the American presidential electoral process is not just the maturity, fairness, and transparency of the system, but the ability of the Americans to coalesce around issues which affect them and use that as a basis for electing a president.

I have witnessed American families take different routes to elect candidates of their choices. A husband votes Republican and the spouse goes Democrat and vice versa. I have seen Republicans vote for Democrats; and Democrats vote for Republicans. The real bottom line is a good candidate who has made a convincing and imperative case on burning issues. Not blind adherence to party candidates.

• In Africa, people are wedded to their parties until death do us part. If a wife or any member of the family strays to another party, that may be a death warrant. Party members are taught or forced to love their party colors and their party candidates even if their incompetence is beyond redemption. They dare not vote for a better candidate from another party however schooled, brilliant, and articulate he is on issues that affect them. It is taboo and sacrilege to do so.

If former secretary of state Colin Powell were in Africa, he would have put his hand in a beehive when he, a top Republican, endorsed Obama's candidature. He would have been vilified and demonized with all sorts of brand names. He would have been condemned as a disgruntled political prostitute all along masquerading as a Republican, when in actual fact he is a Democrat. He would have been outrightly expelled from the party since he has shown his true Democratic colors. At best, he would benefit from the disclaimer that he spoke as an individual and not as a party member, and his party could use crude raw power to force him to say that he was quoted out of context. That is African politics at its best.