@article{2015:fombad:conceptual,
title = {Conceptualising a Framework for Inclusive, Fair and Robust Multiparty Democracy in Africa: The Constitutionalisation of the Rights of Political Parties},
year = {2015},
note = {Democracy flourishes best where free and vibrant political parties are
permitted to openly compete for political power. The conditions must
be such that the party in power will not be able to manipulate the
rules in order to reduce the competitive pressures from other parties
and entrench itself in power. The expansion of political rights in
Africa in the 1990s which saw the re-introduction of multi-partyism
was supposed to have ushered in a new era of competitive politics that
many thought would relegate the one-party system to the dustbin of
history. This does not appear to have happened. This paper considers
why this is the case and what can be done to reverse the
situation.This paper starts by briefly reviewing the evolution of the
rights of political parties in Africa from independence to the 1990s.
The paper then examines the changes that have taken place since the
present wave of constitutional reforms started in the 1990s to see to
what extent these provide a firm basis for the establishment of a free
and fair competitive political system. It is shown that in most
African countries, multipartyism as now practised, has progressively
led to the replacement of the one-party system with the dominant party
system in which the latter under the charade of democracy have
continued to perpetuate all the authoritarian practices of the former.
The paper argues that the constitution-builders did not adequately
learn from the mistakes of the pre-1990 era. It suggests a number of
elements designed to entrench the constitutional rights of political
parties to facilitate meaningful, genuine, and effective competition
that could substantially reduce the scope for incumbent parties
manipulating the political system in order to entrench themselves or
their leaders in power.},
journal = {VRÜ Verfassung und Recht in Übersee},
pages = {3--27},
author = {Fombad, Charles Manga},
volume = {48},
number = {1}
}