In this paper we will examine what ordinary citizens think of the upcoming election and the overall impact of the elections on the process of democratic consolidation. We will also assess the views of representatives within civil society, academic, government and business sector through a series of discussion groups. Finally, we complement the views of citizens and participants from the discussion groups with desk research to further understand the prospects and challenges of the upcoming 2004 elections. Through this analysis we hope to highlight what citizens think about their political system, their perceptions of our democracy, possible reasons for people’s perceptions of our democracy, and whether people are prepared to accept a non-democratic government.