The application of closed list proportional representation in Angola and Mozambique: A case study of the impact of electoral system in democratization.

• Main Author: Casimiro, Jose Maria
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Electoral; democracies; political; struggles; African
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10539/1480

Faculty of Humanities School of Social Sciences 9807483w [e-mail] === This comparative study on the use of the closed-list Proportional Representation electoral system is based on the experiences of democratic political transition undertaken by Angola and Mozambique in 1992 and 1994 respectively. The fieldwork for this study was conducted between the end of 2002 and beginning of 2003. Angola and Mozambique are two former Portuguese colonies on the African continent that share a history of liberation wars, anti-apartheid struggles, frontline statehood, post-colonial Marxist rule, and the existence of an armed opposition. For all that each country has its own particularly political trajectory. This study attempts to highlight one fundamental conclusion about the electoral process and the national list PR electoral system applied in Angola as well as in Mozambique and its impact on emerging democracies, namely: Electoral practices and processes are critical to give effect to the principles of democratic transition.