Comparative Historical Explanation of Contemporary Opposition Competitiveness Degrees in Four Crucial Cases

Abstract

This chapter derives four crucial cases—Botswana, Lesotho, Ghana and Mali—from the results of the quantitative analyses of the book. The comparative historical analysis is based on secondary sources and interviews conducted by the author. It traces the dominant party system configurations of the four electoral democracies or moderately competitive authoritarian regimes from the third wave of democratization back to the political cleavages of the embryonic party systems that were formed before or shortly after the critical juncture of independence from British or French colonialism. A territorial cleavage between potential indigenous winners and losers of radical decolonization and nationalization—urban, progressive elites and rural, traditional chiefs, respectively—that continues to structure party competition makes contemporary opposition parties more cohesive organizations.