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Party Politics
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Party Politics and Different Paths to Democratic Transitions

A Comparison of Benin and Senegal

Lucy Creevey

University of Connecticut, lucy.creevey{at}uconn.edu

Paul Ngomo

New York University, pan220{at}nyu.edu

Richard Vengroff

University of Connecticut, vengroff{at}uconnvm.uconn.edu

Benin and Senegal represent two successful cases of democratic transition in Africa. They also represent two different paths to that end. This article explores the role of political parties in facilitating these different and successful paths to democratic transitions. In Benin, political parties and political leaders relied on the prevailing patterns of ethno-regional cleavages to structure their strategic interactions, mobilize electoral support and organize competition in legislative and presidential elections. In Senegal, an incremental pattern of institutional reform helped the ruling party retain power while enabling fragmented opposition groups to participate in competitive elections. In the long run, this helped opposition groups develop an effective electoral coalition to defeat the ruling party in presidential and legislative elections and bring about a turnover in government.

Key Words: Benin • democratic transitions • elections • ethno-regional cleavages • Senegal

Party Politics, Vol. 11, No. 4, 471-493 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1354068805053213
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