Transition till demokrati
strukturella faktorers påverkan i de begränsade flerpartisystemen Kenya och Tanzania
Limited multiparty regimesTransitionTanzaniaKenyaDemocratizationPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapLaw and Political Science
This paper deals with institutional and structural factors' influence on democratic transition in limited multiparty regimes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Comparing the cases Kenya and Tanzania, of which the former has made a transition to democracy and the latter has not, this paper reaches the conclusion that political traditions, the coalescing of the opposition, and the elites ability to learn from the electoral process is essential for a transition to democracy. In the specific cases, the harshness of the Moi regime and the Tanzanian vision of national unity may possibly carry some explanatory power, alongside the pressure from international actors.These results have been reached through the application of a comparative case study, where democratic transition constitutes the dependent variable. It should be noted that a harsh definition of the term transition has been applied, according to which the incumbents actual loss of an election is a necessary indicator for transition. However, the Freedom House and Polity scores have been brought up as complement of this definition. This paper is based on several scholars' theories of transition and democratization. These theories have been applied on the cases, and constituted the comparison.