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Are political parties an essential element of democracy? Or can a no-party system constitute a viable democratic alternative? Giovanni Carbone examines the politics of Museveniʹs Uganda to illustrate the achievements, contradictions, and limitations of participatory politics in the absence of partisan organizations. At a time when multiparty reforms were sweeping the globe, Uganda opted for a controversial, no-party democratic model. The countryʹs politics over the past two decades thus provide the perfect opportunity for addressing the many questions -- theoretical, empirical, and comparative -- that the notion of a no-party system of elected government raises. Carboneʹs analysis of how a no-party electoral regime actually works (or doesnʹt) in Uganda fills a gap in both democracy studies and the study of African politics. -- Publisher description

The last decade of the twentieth century was characterised by a resurgence of multipartism in Africa. The return of political parties produced a discontinuity not only in the continent's political life, but also in the study of African politics. A number of new researches were carried out that were largely based on existing theories and concepts in political science. These new works thus contributed to an increased integration of the study of politics south of the Sahara with mainstream political science. The present article provides an overview of the insights and advances that these studies have produced, focusing on the key issues raised by the return of party pluralism in Africa and on the utility of existing models, theories and approaches for its understanding. There is little doubt that recent research efforts have advanced our knowledge of the changing politics of the continent. However, neither the elaboration of theoretical frameworks nor the detail of empirical knowledge has achieved adequate levels of development as yet.

The last decade of the twentieth century was characterised by a resurgence of multipartism in Africa. The return of political parties produced a discontinuity not only in the continent's political life, but also in the study of African politics. A number of new researches were carried out that were largely based on existing theories and concepts in political science. These new works thus contributed to an increased integration of the study of politics south of the Sahara with mainstream political science. The present article provides an overview of the insights and advances that these studies have produced, focusing on the key issues raised by the return of party pluralism in Africa and on the utility of existing models, theories and approaches for its understanding. There is little doubt that recent research efforts have advanced our knowledge of the changing politics of the continent. However, neither the elaboration of theoretical frameworks nor the detail of empirical knowledge has achieved adequate levels of development as yet. Adapted from the source document.

The democratic reforms introduced in many sub-Saharan African countries during the 1990s involved the restoration of multipartism. The re-emergence of party politics spurred a number of analyses of the continent's new parties & party systems, largely based on theories & concepts derived from the study of advanced democracies. The article reviews & critically examines recent works on Africa's parties & party systems by presenting the dominant themes & issues & by investigating the utility of Western-derived models for the analysis of new multiparty regimes. In spite of a quantitative increase & a qualitative improvement in the study of Africa's parties & party systems, the latter still suffers a scarcity of empirical & theoretical investigations. At the same time, the use of political science tools for the study of party politics south of the Sahara is part of a broader positive trend towards a better integration of the analysis of African politics with that of politics in other world areas. Tables, Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document.

The introduction of democratic reforms in the 1990s sparked a resurgence of multipartism in Africa, whichentailed a discontinuity in both the continent's politics and in its study. Awave of new analyses was producedthat were largely based on established political science. What results and advances were obtained ? What arethe key issues raised by the return of party pluralism in Africa ? What is the utility of existing models, theories and approaches for its understanding ? While recent research efforts unquestionably advanced ourknowledge of the changing politics of the continent, neither side of the balance - the elaboration of theoreticalframeworks and the detail of empirical knowledge - has achieved adequate levels of development as yet. (Polit afr/GIGA)

Post-conflict elections in Mozambique, held in 1994, 1999 and 2004, established a formally competitive and pluralistic system. This paper examines the country's emerging two-party system as an essential feature affecting prospects for democratic deepening and consolidation. The condition for political parties to actually help the establishment of democratic politics is their development as durable, socially rooted, country-wide effective and legitimate organisations. The paper contends that the current party system has indeed been a major instrument for political expression and for the channelling and peaceful management of conflicts. It shows how both Frelimo and Renamo – and the competition between them – have deep-seated historical origins and well-established regional roots. Yet, a number of aspects concerning the Mozambican party system negatively affect the deepening of democratic politics: the legitimacy of the party system is weakened by post-conflict polarisation and uncertain mutual recognition; the ethno-regional entrenchment of the two main parties bestows a communal connotation on electoral competition; and most importantly, the party system remains unbalanced and unevenly institutionalised, with Frelimo's disciplined and fundamentally institutionalised organisation opposed by a strongly personalistic and weakly organised Renamo, which struggles to operate within state institutions and to accommodate internal differences.

In the mid-1980s, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) established in Uganda what it claimed was a new type of electoral politics, which soon came to be known as 'movement' or 'no-party' democracy. While party activities became subject to strict limitations, the NRM tried not to exacerbate political opposition by letting parties 'exist' as independent entities. Thus, in what is best conceived as a hegemonic system, minor political organizations are allowed a minimal presence so long as they do not constitute an effective challenge to the ruling Movement organization. This article investigates empirically the state of Uganda's historical political parties - the Uganda People's Congress and the Democratic Party - and shows that the specific organizational forms and strategies that the two parties have adopted are a direct response to the no-party framework and the hegemonic context.