Short Abstract

How do local elections shape national political competition in Africa? This panel examines whether and how subnational electoral competition strengthens opposition parties, fosters political careers, and creates new pathways for democratic contestation and representation.

Long Abstract

Scholarship on African party politics has traditionally portrayed opposition parties as organizationally weak, fragmented, and structurally disadvantaged vis-à-vis dominant incumbents. Research has focused on national party systems, institutions, and structural advantages of incumbents. More recently, democratic erosion and autocratization have raised questions about the role of party competition. Simultaneously, a growing body of research suggests that subnational politics may provide important opportunities for opposition parties to develop organizational capacity, cultivate local support, recruit leaders, acquire governing experience, and increase political visibility. This panel explores whether and how the local electoral arena contributes to national political competition in Africa. It examines municipalities, districts, and other subnational arenas as potential sites for political learning, leadership formation, party building, and democratic contestation.

The panel welcomes theoretically informed and empirically grounded contributions examining how subnational competition affects national party politics. It draws on a recently established network of scholars based in and beyond Africa, while welcoming contributions from outside the network. We invite case studies and comparative analyses addressing: (a) how municipal elections affect opposition parties’ organizational development; (b) when access to local government becomes a resource for national political competition; and (c) whether local electoral competitiveness and opposition-held municipalities can challenge one-party dominance or resist autocratization. The panel seeks to advance debates on African party politics, neither assuming the complete failure of political parties nor the indispensability of national party competition modelled on 20th-century Europe.

This Panel has 1 pending paper proposal.
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