Opposition party institutionalisation in authoritarian settings: the case of Uganda
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Date
2024-05-19
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Commonwealth & Comparative Politics
Abstract
This article analyses the process of institutionalisation among Ugandan
opposition parties and highlights the tensions at play between party
institutionalisation and broader party goals in authoritarian settings. Based
upon qualitative research conducted between 2016 and 2023, we offer a
historical analysis of the steps towards institutionalisation – understood as a
process, rather than a state – taken by two Ugandan parties: the Forum for
Democratic Change (FDC) and the Democratic Party (DP). Uganda features
historical parties such as the DP that were severely weakened by the
‘Movement era’ but endured despite losing ground, and newer opposition
forces, such as the FDC, that proved relatively stronger despite being divided
over the question of building party structures, thus providing an interesting
case study. Ultimately, this article demonstrates the complex, and at times
conflicting, implications of institutionalisation for opposition parties’ ability to
achieve their objectives in an authoritarian regime.
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Citation
Bertrand, E., & Mutyaba, M. (2024). Opposition party institutionalisation in authoritarian settings: the case of Uganda. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 62(2), 77-99.