International IDEA | National dialogues focus on political parties in Nigeria, Mali and India

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National dialogues focus on political parties in Nigeria, Mali and India

Posted: 2006-03-02

Political parties are said to be vital to democracy. On the other hand, they are among the least trusted institutions in countries all over the world. Why is this? What can be done to ensure that political parties fulfil their role in democratic societies?

In January, IDEA and its partners organized regional workshops in Nigeria and Mali for all major political parties to discuss party reform and learn from each other on their roles in democracy and democratization. In February, a national dialogue workshop with political parties was held in India. These activities are part of IDEA’s global investigation into the external regulation and internal functioning of political parties. The goal is to see if recommendations can be made on where reforms are needed.

The “godfathers” of Nigerian political parties

In a dialogue workshop for Nigerian political parties, participants agreed that “godfathers” were a major plague of party politics in the country. The workshop was organized by International IDEA and the Centre for Democracy and Development on 25 January in Abuja, Nigeria. It brought together more than 40 representatives of all major political parties to discuss and validate the findings of IDEA’s research on the functioning of Nigerian political parties.

The research stresses that the “illiberal” nature of the legal framework that governs party activities in Nigeria is empowering those individuals within a party, who, through political (including violent means or thuggery) or financial control, wield enormous power in how parties function. They ultimately determine who is nominated or elected within the party or to public office. These “godfathers” are responsible for the current problem of factionalism, which has affected virtually all major parties in Nigeria.

The constitution gives parties a narrow definition that reduces the essence of political parties only to canvassing for votes during elections. Other stringent conditions include the requirement for parties to register with the electoral management body (INEC); have headquarters situated in Abuja; and have names, symbols or logos that do not have religious or ethnic connotations. As a result of this illiberal regulatory framework, a party must be “big, rich and have the capacity to unite money wielding forces from different parts of the country” to qualify for registration with INEC, according to the research.

“In effect, the major factor in party formation in Nigeria is not the aggregation of people with similar ideological interests but the establishment of ethnic coalitions led by regional barons with strong financial backing”, said the principal researcher Dr Jibrin Ibrahim.

Similarly, the role of money in Nigerian politics, including paying of bribes to party officials and to voters to support a particular candidate, undermines the consolidation of multiparty politics, as underlined in the report.

Patriarch

Another obstacle to multiparty democracy and specifically inner-party democracy is “results by declaration”, meaning the power of the party caucus to nullify a primary election and declare the loser candidate as the winner. Furthermore, the “winner-takes-all mentality” and the patriarchal nature of the Nigerian sociopolitical system, compounded by violence and use of abusive language in electioneering, have tended to marginalize women in Nigerian politics.

The participants in the workshop advocated for the following:

Reform of the legislative framework governing party registration and functioning;
Measures to limit the role of "godfathers" and barons in party politics and enhance the role of citizens, especially women, in the democratic functioning of parties;
Reform of political financing, i.e., the introduction of measures to strengthen parties to raise their own funds, and also enhance their capacity to be more accountable and transparent in matters of party and campaign financing; and
Strategic electoral alliances across geopolitical divides to counter the impact of "godfathers" and factional politics in Nigeria.

The workshop participants agreed to increase cooperation and dialogue between political parties and civil society to facilitate the reform of the legislative and regulatory environment within which Nigerian political parties function. They also said that more research is needed on specific aspects of party politics, such as party formation and factionalism in Nigeria and conflict and crisis management within political parties.

The missing women of party politics in Mali

A political party dialogue workshop also took place in Bamako, Mali, on 14 February to discuss internal and external regulations of political parties in Mali, notably the legal environment for creating a political party, internal democracy, and selecting candidates. Among the 35 delegates who represented 25 political parties, there was only one woman. This led to a discussion on the low level of women’s participation in politics in Mali. Obstacles to women’s participation were listed, such as a higher level of illiteracy among women; societal constraints; women’s central role in families, which keeps them away from political commitment; and the tendency for women to participate in local elections rather than in legislative elections. Participants agreed that political parties had a key responsibility to facilitate women’s access to politics. The one female representative at the workshop must be relieved.