In April 2003, Nigerians voted to re-elect incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo, a former military dictator from 1976 to 1979, beat his opponent, Muslim leader Muhammadu Buhari, by almost 12 million votes.

While the election helped propel the country forward in its quest for true democracy, instances of violence and allegations of fraud and ballot rigging overshadowed the process.

Buhari, himself a former military ruler, demanded a re-election and called the process "a rape of democracy."

"In a number of states, minimum standards for democratic elections were not met," said one report from the European Union Election Observation Mission, which monitored the Nigerian vote.

The report cited a number of shortcomings that called the election's credibility into question. Among the group's concerns were stories of opposition candidates who were denied registration for years, giving them little or no chance to prepare campaigns.

"The National Conscience Party, with its candidate Ganiyu Fawehinmi, a famous human rights activist, fought a two-year legal battle to get registered," the report said.

The report also cited changes to the Electoral Act of 2002 — the law that governs voter and party registration, candidate finances, nominations and election procedure in Nigeria — as a potential problem. Shortly before the election, the National Assembly changed the act, amending some laws and voiding others.

Standards for democratic elections vary by country but generally adhere to the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a 1948 U.N. proclamation calling for member countries to advocate freedom, justice and peace for their citizens. In Nigeria, those principles call for fair elections free of violence, fear and intimidation.

Prior to the April elections, members of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization, traveled to Nigeria to monitor preparations for the vote. The institute found areas of concern in several of the country's election processes, including the voter registration process, the counting process, the tabulation of results, election petitions and the process for transfer of power.

The group found particular fault with the efforts of the government-controlled Independent National Election Commission of Nigeria, or INEC, which is in charge of organizing, conducting and supervising the country's elections.

"[T]here were irregularities committed by officials, activists and supporters of the major political parties," the team said. "INEC demonstrated an inability to ensure the overall secrecy and security of the voting and counting process."

"Counting and tabulation occurred at collation centers, where access in some places was denied to party agents and other observers," the group added.

The institute's report concluded that the irregularities "severely limited and even denied in some parts of the country" Nigerians' right to vote.

Nigeria's election troubles began as early as 1983, after the country elected Shehu Shagari, its first civilian leader. Four years earlier, Shagari had been handed power by the military. His re-election marked the first time Nigerians voted for a second term of civilian rule.

But the victory was short-lived. Shagari was toppled by a military coup three months after the election.

Following Shagari's ouster, Nigeria experienced 10 years of military rule and two military coups, including an uprising in 1990 in which 200 soldiers involved in the coup were executed.

In 1993, eager voters tried for democracy once again, voting to break from their military rulers. Nigerians elected Moshood Abiola, who ruled as president for only three days before the military annulled the election. Abiola was arrested and later died in jail.

Obasanjo's 1999 election marked the country's third attempt at democratically electing a leader. Although violence and allegations of corruption and fraud marred those elections, Nigerians considered the vote a victory over years of military rule.

Today, Nigerian citizens and members of the international community are further scrutinizing the country's electoral process. During the most recent elections, more than 48,000 domestic and international observers monitored the vote in an effort to maintain fairness.

The country's election laws are similar to those of other democratic nations. INEC upholds the law and calls for citizens over the age of 18 to register in their home state. National, state and local primaries are held in the months leading up to the presidential and gubernatorial elections and National Assembly elections are held a week prior. State Assembly elections occur a week after the presidential election.

Bolaji Adebiyi, deputy attaché for the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, characterized Nigeria's most recent election troubles as growing pains.

"We are just in the learning process as far as the democratic process is concerned," Adebiyi said. "So for this reason, we expect that we'll face challenges that could be described as teething problems associated with something that is new."

"But you grow teeth," he said. "Beyond that, we think we are on the right path."

Despite the many obstacles leading up to April's election, more than 60 million Nigerians voted. Interest in politics is at an all-time high, according to Chris Fomunyoh, the National Democratic Institute's regional director for Central and West Africa Programs.

The hope, according to Fomunyoh, is that, barring a military coup, the current administration will use the next four years to put policies in place that will ensure free and fair elections going forward.

NDI has recommended a complete review of the country's electoral framework. The process would require participation by the ruling party, INEC and other legal experts.

Fomunyoh says he feels optimistic about Nigeria's future. He says the government must establish trust among its citizens in order to run successful elections.

"One way of guaranteeing that Nigerian efforts of democratization can stay the course," Fomunyoh said, "is for people to have confidence that elections are the only way by which you can gain or lose access to political power in a democratic society."

One Nigerian voter told a New York Times reporter that he is excited about the new system.

"I want to believe in this system," said Ndubuisi Ebubeogu. "Globally, things are going democratically. We want to join the globe."

-- By Kristina Nwazota, Online NewsHour