Political Parties in Africa: Challenges for Sustained Multiparty

2. Introduction
Chapter 2
Since the start of the third wave of democratization in 1974 (Huntington 1991),
various forms of multiparty political systems have been introduced around the world.
Today, therefore, we live in times when more countries than ever before decide on
their leaders through multiparty elections—and where more people than ever before
are governed by rulers of their choice. Multiparty politics, however, is no guarantee
for development. It may empower vulnerable groups, increase transparency, mediate
conflict and achieve redistribution of income to the poor—but it may also give
more influence to already powerful elites, marginalize the poor and minorities,
and be used to mobilize ethnic and religious groups against each other. Hence,
the good functioning of mature political parties is central for democratization and
development.
In democratic societies, political parties are therefore indispensable voluntary and
informal associations of society, where people share commonly understood values,
customs and attitudes to their role in politics. They are products of and operate within
economic structures, and in a context of interests that are affected by and respond to
the accumulation and distribution of goodwill and resources, including the wealth
of society (Leiserson 1955). As instruments of collective action, political parties are
the creation of the political elite in a bid to control the resources and personnel of
government in order to implement an ideology or a political programme. According
to Weiner, ‘in competitive political systems, parties are organized by politicians to
win elections; in authoritarian systems, parties are organized to affect the attitudes
and behaviour of the population. In both instances, an organizational structure must
be forged, money must be raised, cadres recruited, officers elected or selected, and
procedures for internal governing established and agreed upon’ (Weiner 1967: 1–2).
Although they are part of the informal constitution of society, once they have
contested legally sanctioned elections, political parties obtain power and formally,
under the jurisdiction and formal ‘constitution’ of the state, obtain legitimacy and
control the personnel and resources of the state. The rulers and political officials who