Opposition Party institutionalization in Uganda

• In Event: Democracy´s Resilience and Stagnation: The Role of Opposition Parties

Abstract

Strong or institutionalized opposition parties play a key role in challenging one-party dominance and promoting democratization. Yet, institutionalization can also be at odds with the flexibility opposition parties need in order to adapt to changing circumstances. Drawing from the influential work of Randall and Svåsand (2002) and Basedau and Stroh (2008), scholars have assessed the level of institutionalization of individual parties – usually finding them lacking. In this paper, we suggest a different approach. Rather than measuring the level of institutionalization of given parties, we offer a historical analysis of the steps taken towards institutionalization – understood as a process, rather than a given state.
We analyze the institutionalization processes of two opposition parties in Uganda – the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Democratic Party (DP) – and what effects that has on their capacity to challenge the incumbent. Based upon qualitative research, this paper disentangles the concepts of party institutionalization and party strength, compare the attitude and progress towards institutionalization of the two parties, and analyze the effect of individual party institutionalization on the opposition’s capacity to build coalitions and on democratization prospects more broadly.

Authors

• Eloïse Bertrand, University of Portsmouth

• Michael Mutyaba, SOAS University of London