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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Ambiguous elections: the influence of non-electoral politics in Ethiopian democratisation
Author:Tronvoll, KjetilISNI
Year:2009
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:47
Issue:3
Pages:449-474
Language:English
Geographic term:Ethiopia
Subjects:elections
democratization
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/40538320
Abstract:The 'non-electoral context' of elections is often overlooked in democratization studies, in order not to obscure an otherwise clear model or theory of transition. A key challenge for research on democratization processes is to balance electoral 'formalities' with contextual factors, qualitative perceptions and non-electoral issues, in order to reach a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of democratic transitions. This article advocates a multilayered approach to - or a 'thick description' of - elections, as this will capture the diversity of real life experiences and expose alternative power discourses competing with the electoralist one in influencing the path of democratization. The article focuses on political transition and multiparty elections in Ethiopia since 1991. It casts light on the crucial impact of the Eritrean-Ethiopian war on Ethiopia's 2005 election, in addition to other qualitative and contextual factors, which lead to the conclusion that the advancement of democracy through multiparty elections in Ethiopia under the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has failed. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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