Abstract/Summary

Since the era of decolonization, political parties have played a crucial role in shaping the national political landscape of independent Africa. They have mobilized citizens; provided platforms for the expressions of diverse ideologies, aspirations, and interests; channelled resources; and helped citizens try to hold governments accountable. Despite playing such a crucial role, the study of political parties in Africa has lagged significantly behind its counterparts elsewhere, with key moments of citizen interaction — such as campaign rallies and canvassing — often dismissed as simply avenues for clientelism and vote buying. In this chapter, we draw on a wide range of data to show that the behavior of African parties is far more complex than often claimed, particularly when it comes to their interactions with citizens. Indeed, far from primarily engaging in clientelism and vote buying, we show that parties across the continent engage in campaign strategies and citizen interactions that would be recognizable to scholars elsewhere in the world, and that campaigns in particular are important moments in which citizens learn about office holders, candidates, policy platforms and government performance. Ultimately, we argue that parties in Africa function as important parts of civil society, without which democracy across the continent would be severely weakened.