political parties

Election-Related Violence : The Case of Ghana

Upphovsperson:	Amankwaah, Clementina
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation |
År:	2013
Ämnesord:	Ghana, elections, Electoral systems, Voting, Political violence, Ethnicity, politics, political parties, democracy

This Current African Issue gives an overview of the causes and experiences of electionrelated violence in relation to patronage politics in Ghana. Ghana has been framed b ythe international community as a unique bastion of democracy and peace on the African continent. Nevertheless, the country has come from a military regime like many of its democratic African counterparts and is still prone to some of the problems faced by its more turbulent neighbours. The three main guiding issues that this publication will address in relation to election-related violence in Ghana are: The causes of election-related violence in Ghana Who the people most likely to cause election-related violence are The role that “big men” play in election-related violence

Votes, money and violence : political parties and elections in Sub-Saharan Africa

Medarbetare:	Basedau, Matthias | Erdmann, Gero | Mehler, Andreas
Utgivare:	Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet ; Kwazulu-Natal Press, South Africa
År:	2007
Ämnesord:	elections, Electoral systems, political parties, democracy, Political systems, Political pluralism, Multipartyism, Africa South of Sahara, Political science, Statsvetenskap

Following the (re-)introduction of multiparty systems in Africa in the early 1990s, third and fourth elections in Africa's new democracies and hybrid regimes are now being seen. Although there is a large and growing literature on democracy and elections in Africa, parties and party systems have hitherto not been the focus of research, which may be surprising given their central role in a liberal democracy. The early works from the 1960s and 1970s provide neither a sound conceptual nor empirical basis. Research on political parties and party systems in Africa is still in its infancy. Various contributions in this volume address the theoretical and conceptual challenges provided by the African parties and party systems with their particular features of weak organisation, informal relationships dominated by 'big men' and clientelism within a neopatrimonial setting. Others raise the crucial question of representation in relation to ethnicity, civil society and gender, or look into the empirical relationship between party systems and democracy. Further chapters ask questions about the appropriate electoral system for the multiethnic context in Africa and deal with the problem of electoral system reform. Finally, there are chapters which focus on the neglected area of electoral violence, and the moral role of money and vote buying is scrutinized through a case study. An important conclusion is that party research in Africa needs more conceptual clarity as well as empirical research particularly on party organisation, voting behaviour, and the role of ethnicity.

Cadres, capitalists, elites and coalitions : The ANC, business and development in South Africa

Upphovsperson:	Van Wyk, Jo-Ansie
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2009
Ämnesord:	Post-apartheid, political development, Democratization, Political leadership, Elite, political parties, Governance, Economic conditions, South Africa, Political science, Statsvetenskap

The transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa is widely regarded as an exemplary case of an elite political settlement. Moreover, South Africa’s political history in the last two decades can certainly be understood in terms of the way old, new, political and economic elites interacted in different domains and sectors to resolve major collective problems and produce institutional solutions that would work – even if some of these solutions appeared contentious – and cater to broad interests. The political settlement achieved by opposing elites produced a unique democratic pact. However, less attention has been paid to the economic pact achieved by these elites. As a liberation movement, the African National Congress (ANC) advocated nationalisation to undo the socioeconomic legacies of apartheid, but once the political transition had commenced, it discarded nationalisation. Instead, ANC elites opted for pro-business/market policies, which stabilised the economy and attracted much needed foreign direct investment. Their decision was partly attributable to the negotiated political and economic pacts that they concluded with National Party elites and ‘white’ capital. With the political or democratic pact in place, the negotiation and consolidation of the economic pact was achieved with the formation of numerous formal and informal coalitions with first ‘white’ and later ‘black’ capital to undo the economic legacies of apartheid. Not only did the pact result led to a stable political transition, it also in political and economic transformation. More importantly, early signs are now evident of a developmental pact that may result in a successful developmental state capable of achieving equality and equity for all in post-apartheid South Africa.

Electoral Democratisation in Post-Civil War Guinea-Bissau 1999 - 2008

Upphovsperson:	Rudebeck, Lars
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Guinea-Bissau, Post-conflict reconstruction, Democratization, elections, political parties, political participation, democracy, Political conditions, Economic conditions, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper provides a profound analysis of the theory of democratisation as applied in a post-conflict West African context. It includes a compelling analysis of ‘democratisation without development’ in Guinea-Bissau and lays the groundwork for what is to be done to facilitate democratic transformation in the country. This is a must-read for scholars, policy and development practitioners and activists keen on understanding the immediate background to the current challenges facing Guinea-Bissau and their possible resolution.

Colapso e reconstrução política na Guiné-Bissau 1998-2000 : um estudo de democratização difícil

Upphovsperson:	Rudebeck, Lars
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2001
Ämnesord:	Democratization, political development, history, elections, political parties, Guinea-Bissau, Political science, Statsvetenskap

In this study of recent developments in Guinea Bissau. Lars Rudebeck seeks to investigate how democratic rule emerges and functions in real life. His analysis extends far beyond the multi-party system and election procedures as he discusses contrasts in people's perceptions of democracy. He assesses their access to influential structures, the roles of civil and political society, of the military, and of international assistance and argues that complex power structures need to be addressed if democracy is to be consolidated.

Presidential elections in Sierra Leone

Upphovsperson:	Utas, Mats
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Urban Dynamics | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2007
Ämnesord:	Sierra Leone, elections, political parties, democracy, Presidency, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

On August 11 Sierra Leone will vote democratically for the second timesince the end of the decade long civil war that raged between 1991 and 2002. Many international observers believe that this election is an important testfor democracy in Sierra Leone. Many Sierra Leoneans call democracy Demare-Crazy and politics politrix.

The ANC underground in South Africa

Upphovsperson:	Suttner, Raymond
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Auckland Park, South Africa : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Jacana Media
År:	2008
Ämnesord:	African National Congress, South African Communist Party, politics, political participation, political history, political parties, national liberation movements, anti-apartheid movements, anti-apartheid activists, South Africa, Political science, Statsvetenskap

It is commonly held that the ANC -after its banning in 1960 and the imprisonment of its leaders - largely disappeared off the face of South Africa until public support for it revived in the wake of the Soweto uprising of 1976. This book takes issue with that view. Drawing  on substantial oral testimony, Raymond Suttner develops a convincing case that internally based activist, sometimes working independently of the ANC in exile and sometimes in combination, were able to reconstitute networks within South Africa after the organisation's banning. He discusses the broad features of their secret  underground work, the impact it had on their personal lives, and the opportunities that were presented for both bravery and abuse. One of the distinctive features of his approach is its treatment of such illegal activity through a gendered lens. Suttner concludes by exploring the dominant position which the ANC had established by the 1970s (partly through underground activity), enabling it to become the prime political beneficiary of the Soweto uprising and ultimately creating the conditions for a negotiated settlement in South Africa. CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction The early underground: From the M-Plan to Rivonia The reconstitution of the SACP asan underground organisation The ANC underground betweeen Rivonia and 1976 The character of underground work Gendering the underground Revolutionary morality and the suppression of the personal The re-establishment of ANC hegemony after 1976 List of interviews Notes Index

Political opposition in African countries : the cases of Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Upphovspersoner:	Hulterström, Karolina | Kamete, Amin Y. | Melber, Henning
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2007
Ämnesord:	political opposition, politics, Democratization, Ethnicity, Local government, political parties, SWAPO, case studies, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper is another result of the project “Liberation and Democracy in Southern Africa” (LiDeSA), which was coordinated at the Institute between 2001 and 2006. The papers are revised versions of presentations to a Session of the Research Committee “Comparative Sociology” at the XVI World Congress of Sociology held at the end of July 2006 in Durban. They explore the role of opposition parties under different aspects in several East and Southern African countries, which differ according to the socio-political determinants.