Abstract
Most regimes around the world conduct multiparty elections on a regular basis.1 In contrast with the growing literature on electoral authoritarianism (Levitsky and Way 2002, 2010; Schedler 2006a, 2013), Lindberg (2004, 2006a, 2006b, 2009a, 2009b, 2009c, 2009d, 2009e, 2012) has argued that in Africa, elections are a new mode of democratic transition. While Lindberg’s claim about the democratizing power of elections has since been tested for other regions and from a global perspective (Bunce and Wolchik 2009; McCoy and Hartlyn 2009; Lindberg 2009a; Brownlee 2009b; Roessler and Howard 2009; Teorell and Hadenius 2009; Donno 2013; Kaya and Bernhard 2013), no systematic re-examination of the African evidence exists. This chapter seeks to fill that gap by reevaluating the trend of democratization through elections that Lindberg observed for Africa.
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Bogaards, M. (2014). Multiparty Elections in Africa: For Better or Worse. In: Doorenspleet, R., Nijzink, L. (eds) Party Systems and Democracy in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137011718_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137011718_2
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