This revolution took in Cote d'Ivoire began, not because "there was an election", but because France and the US attempted to put their puppets in power in an African country instead of respecting their sovereignty and freedom to choose their own leaders.
Saying that it was simply because "there was an election" is incredibly over-simplifying.
If a revolution could take place without everyone cowering at the possibility of bloodshed, maybe then African will see some real change. Using fear to inspire docility amongst us is an old game, still in play when it comes to African in particular.