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Title Transitions to democracy, institutional choices and party system stability: lessons from small African islands
Full text http://hdl.handle.net/10451/43954
Date 2020
Author(s) Sanches, Edalina
Abstract It is not easy to understand why some African party systems manage to stabilise while others remain fluid. This article argues that institutional choices made during democratic transition impact the likelihood of party system stabilisation. The experiences of Cabo Verde, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe and Seychelles are compared; despite sharing many similarities (insularity, smallness, low ethnic diversity, authoritarian past, economic vulnerability and competitive elections), they differ substantively in terms of the patterns of interparty competition. It is shown that stabilisation is likely if party elites are able to control the rules of the game during the transition to democracy. A strategic choice of the party law, electoral system and executive system helps structure interactions over time and reduce uncertainty in electoral competition. The findings highlight the need to further explore the 'black box' of democratic transitions, and the role of agency in political outcomes in Africa. - info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Subject(s) Party systems; stability; small African islands; democratic transitions; institutional choices
Language eng
Publisher Taylor & Francis
Relation CEECIND/02527/2017; SFRH/BD/145649/2019
Type of publication article
Rights openAccess
Identifier Sanches, E. R. (2020): Transitions to democracy, institutional choices and party system stability: lessons from small African islands, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Published online 01 Jun 2020. DOI: 10.1080/02589001.2020.1774048; 0258-9001; 10.1080/02589001.2020.1774048
Repository Lissabon - University of Lissabon
Added to C-A: 2020-07-13;09:02:56