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Benin: A Pulverized Party System in Transition

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Party Systems and Democracy in Africa

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Abstract

Benin has seen a rapid proliferation of political parties since the country’s democratic transition in 1990. Recent counts suggest that over a hundred political parties are registered in this nation of just over 9 million people. No single party dominates the political landscape. Thus, compared to the one-party-dominant systems elsewhere on the African continent, the Beninese party system configuration shows an interesting contrast. This chapter seeks to answer two interrelated questions: First, how exactly does Benin’s party system compare to other party systems and, more specifically, how should it be classified? Second, what does the Beninese case suggest about the relationship between party system configurations and democratic outcomes?

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Authors
  1. Rachel M. Gisselquist
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK

    Renske Doorenspleet (Associate Professor of Comparative Politics) (Associate Professor of Comparative Politics)

  2. National Assembly of Nigeria and the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy, University of Cape Town, South Africa

    Lia Nijzink (Political scientist based in Cape Town) (Political scientist based in Cape Town)

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© 2014 Rachel M. Gisselquist

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Gisselquist, R.M. (2014). Benin: A Pulverized Party System in Transition. In: Doorenspleet, R., Nijzink, L. (eds) Party Systems and Democracy in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137011718_7

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