The democracy in Africa shows a bleak picture with only four states -- Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Botswana -- could be considered free, according to a new study released on Sunday.

The study by the New National Party (NNP), in association with the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA), has painted a bleak picture ofthe health of democracy in African countries.

NNP media director Daryl Swanepoel said in Pretoria on Sunday the "Freedom Index" was aimed at stimulating debate on democracy within the African Union (AU).

The index ranked countries on a variety of indicators, including the whether they conducted regular free and fair elections; their levels of literacy; freedom of the press; military involvement in politics; and minority rights.

"From the study it became evident that there is a serious lack of data in Africa. This is an area in which the managers of the AUwill have to invest," he said.

The index acknowledges the differences in degrees of democracy,and ranks states on a continuum from "fully free" to "freedom repressed".

The study found that four countries could be seen as "fully free", 11 African countries could be categorized as "generally free", 18 states as "freedom restrained".

A further 11 countries were classified as "freedom substantially restricted", and nine as "freedom repressed".

A state that was considered "fully free" exhibited all of the features of a functioning democracy, while those in the final category were generally characterized by the absence of free partypolitical activity, due to violence, repression, or the lack of constitutional provisions for multiparty politics.

The media was, without exception, not free and literacy levels were low in such countries.

The DUA is the African branch of the International Democrat Union, a grouping of center-right parties, whose affiliates include Britain's Conservative Party, the United States' Republican Party and Germany's Christian Democratic Union.

It comprises 20 African political parties, including, among others, the NNP, Mozambique's Renamo and Namibia's Democratic Turnhalle Alliance.

(Xinhua News Agency   August 4, 2003)