Changing Electoral Patterns in Sierra Leone
The 1982 Single-Party Elections
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2595178 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fred M Hayward, Ahmed R Dumbuya |
| Year | 1985 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 62 |
| Publication date | 1985-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Studies Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-0206 • E-ISSN: 1555-2462 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/524524 |
| OpenAlex | W2023756083 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 12 |
The electoral process in Sierra Leone has changed substantially over the last twenty years from one operating in the context of a competitive multi-party system to one defined by the formal establishment of a one-party state in 1978 with elections under those rules in 1982. The former was often cited as a model of democratic competition; the latter was established to overcome problems the political elite felt resided in multi-party competition. In this sense, Sierra Leone was not unlike many other African states (including Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Ivory Coast) which had moved to de facto or de jure single-party systems. The earlier effectiveness of the multi-party system in Sierra Leone, which saw the opposition party defeat the party in power, makes this a particularly interesting case for examining the electoral process in a singleparty context in general. This study focuses on the 1982 election in Sierra Leone and its implications for the political process. Of particular importance are the changes which occurred as the country moved from a political system which fostered competition between parties to one in which electoral competition was to be within the framework of the single-party system. The move to a one-party state had obvious consequences for the electoral process. Less obvious are the implications for electoral competition, campaign strategy, the legitimacy of the government, and the nature of participation in elections. The creation of a one-party state is often seen as an exercise in elite control of the masses (Hermet et al., 1978: vii) with elections functioning as part of the process of manipulation and control (Edelman, 1971; Collier, 1982
Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Electoral system · Geography · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sierra leone · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law · Political Conflict and Governance
From One-Party Rule to Multipartism in Africa
Legislative Development in Africa
Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa
Guarding the Guardians
The specification of ethnic cleavages and ethnopolitical groups for the analysis of democratic competition in contemporary Africa
Party or masquerade? The all people's congress of Sierra Leone
Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa
Ethnicity and the Colonial State
False start in Africa
Politics and public policy in Kenya and Tanzania.
A Preface to Democratic Theory, Expanded Edition
Politics in Sierra Leone 1947-1967
Elections Without Choice
Regimes in Tropical Africa
Civil-Military Relations in Sierra Leone
Socialism in Tanzania
The Rise and Fall of Kwame Nkrumah
Political Legitimacy, Political Symbols, and National Leadership in West Africa
Democracy in Africa
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,21 |
| Citation span | 1987 - 2019 (33) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |