Voting v. Election
There are precursors to a real "election".
There must be a widely disseminated free press. That includes TV. People must be aware of their options.
There must be a literate population, which at least implies a widespread educational system. People need to understaned more than the "bites" which come with TV.
And there must options on the ballot giving a variety of choices.
Otherwise, there is just voting. In Afghanistan, I'm afraid they were just voting.
Arf