Paper short abstract:

The paper looks at the electoral strategies parties employ when seeking votes in urban versus rural areas in Ghana and Kenya.

Paper long abstract:

The urban-rural divide has received much attention in recent scholarship on African politics. But has it led to notable differences in how parties campaign in rural versus urban areas since the re-introduction of multi-partyism? Drawing on data on the speeches made by presidential candidates in Ghana and Kenya over the course of several electoral campaigns, this paper explores the scope and content of the urban-rural cleavage in these countries. It finds significant variation in the outreach strategies parties employ, the issues they highlight, and the mechanics of campaigns. The paper concludes by drawing attention to the difficulties parties face in reconciling the promises made in Africa's urban and rural areas, and what these imply for the durability of electoral coalitions on the continent.