The dialogue, themed “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and Judiciary Save African Democracy? 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. 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 also emphasised the importance of credible elections, political pluralism and the protection of minority voices.