Alternate Title: The Politics of Elections: The Significance of Administrative and Legal Means to Remain in Power in Malawi and Uganda. (English)

المؤلفون: Rakner, Lise, Svåsand, Lars

المصدر: Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab; Oct2009, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p268-282, 15p

مصطلحات موضوعية: SOUTH African politics & government, 1994-, ELECTIONS, POWER (Social sciences)

مصطلحات جغرافية: MALAWI, UGANDA, SOUTH Africa

Abstract (English): Studies of electoral processes in new democracies in sub-Saharan Africa suggest that political actors - in particular the executive - may benefit from exploiting rule making as well the implementation of rules through the administrative apparatus by subjecting autonomous institutions to executive control. 'We refer to this as an `administrative and legal approach' to securing a desired election outcome. Within this perspective, we describe how the executive in two presidential systems - Uganda and Malawi - have been able to impact the electoral process to remain in power. This is illustrated by the process in advance of Uganda's presidential and parliamentary elections in 2006 and by the post-election maneuvers of Malawi's president after the 2004 election. The two cases show that the executive branch in new democracies may employ both legal means and administrative capacities to tilt the playing field in their favor and thereby determine the electoral outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Danish): Afrikanske vaig har ofte vist, at demokratiske forfatninger kun i begr~nset omfang har reduseret magtkoncentrasionen i presidentembedet. Studier af vaig i Afrika bor forstås i lyset af en legal administrativ model, hvor en sterk presidentmagt underminerer politisk neutrale processer og institutioner. Politiske aktorer tjener egne interesser ved at bruge forfatningsprocesser og implementering af de politiske spilleregler til at kontrollere de administrative institutioner såsom valgkommisionen. Det er en vigtig præmis, at valg nærmest er en kontinuerlig prosess. I lang tid før valget kan konkurrenceforholdene gores ulige, og efter valget kan elementer i valgprocesserne bruges til at forhindre oppositionen i at styrke sin position. Disse teknikker blev udnyttet af Præsident Museveni i Uganda før valget i 2006 og af President Mutharika i Malawi efter valget i 2004 for at sikre deres politiske initiativers gennemslagskraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab is the property of Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: ANC and Concentration of Power in South Africa: Does Local Democracy Open Up for Power Sharing? (English)

المؤلفون: Muriaas, Ragnhild L.

المصدر: Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab; Oct2009, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p283-299, 17p

مصطلحات موضوعية: SOUTH African politics & government, 1994-, DEMOCRACY, POWER (Social sciences), ELECTIONS

مصطلحات جغرافية: SOUTH Africa

Abstract (English): Concentration of power is an obstacle to democracy in Africa. The question is therefore if the introduction of local democracy can contribute to power-sharing in the society. In South Africa, the governing party, the African National Congress, has introduced elected local governments to deepen democracy. An examination of the results of the local elections in 2000 and 2006 shows that power is devolved to opposition parties in some municipalities, but only to a small percentage of them. A further qualitative analysis of the relationship between the different political parties in three selected districts indicates that many of the institutional mechanisms that are adopted favor the national governing party. Local democracy gives the opposition parties an opportunity to compete on a level playing field in South Africa, but the African National Congress fights to hold on to its political power -mostly with means that are acceptable in a democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Danish): Magtkoncentrasion er et demokratisk problem i Afrika. Så er introduktionen af lokalt deinokrati en effektiv strategi til at øge magtdelingen i politiske systemer med et dominerende regeringsparti? I Sydafrika har det dominante regeringsparti, African National Congress, indført valgt lokalstyre ud fra et argument om at udvide dernokratiet. Spørsmålet er da om dette har givet oppositionen en øget mulighed til at påvirke den politiske dagsorden. En gennemgang af resultatene fra lokalvalgene i 2000 og 2006 viser en vis spredning af politisk magt til oppositionspartiene på lokalt niveau. En videre kvalitativ analyse af forholdet mellom partierne i tre udvalgte distrikter antyder derimod, at regeringspartiet har haft størst fordel af mange af de institutionelle mekanismer, som påvirker forholdet mellem partierne på lokalt plan. Det lokale demokrati i Sydafrika giver oppositionen en reel mulighed for at konkurrere om politiske poster, men meget tyder på, at ANC kæmper med alle klør for at holde på sin magt. Men dog for det meste med midler, som er demokratisk acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab is the property of Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

المصدر: Politica: Tidsskrift for Politisk Videnskab; Oct2009, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p382-384, 3p

مصطلحات موضوعية: SOUTH African politics & government, 1994-, ELECTIONS, POWER (Social sciences), DEMOCRACY

مصطلحات جغرافية: SOUTH Africa