Från väpnad oppositionsgrupp till politiskt parti- En komparativ studie om transformeringen och institutionaliseringen av RENAMO, FRELIMO och SWAPO i Moçambique och Namibia
Political PartyArmed Opposition GroupTransformationInstitutionalizationPost-ConflictPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapLaw and Political Science
This thesis explores and compares the former armed opposition groups; Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO), Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) and South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) transformation processes into political parties. The first question addressed is; What factors determines the ability of these armed opposition groups to transform into political parties after armed conflict? The question is addressed through four structural and organizational factors; international involvement, the organizations ideology and identity, their ability to change inter-elite relationships and their ability to change collective incentive strategies. The second question addressed is if the transformations process can affect the parties? degree of institutionalization? The degree of institutionalization is examined through the party's adaptility, complexity, autonomy and coherence. The degree of institutionalization is then compared to the result of the transformation process. The outcome of this inquiry indicates that the groups have been institutionalized in a various degree do to how they have handled the structural and organizational factors under the transformation process. The inquiry also shows that the international involvement and the organizations former ideology and identity play a heavy role in their decisions to transform into political parties in a post-conflict context.