Political Parties in a ‘No-Party Democracy’

Abstract

In the mid-1980s, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) established in Uganda what it claimed was a new type of electoral politics, which soon came to be known as ‘movement’ or ‘no-party’ democracy. While party activities became subject to strict limitations, the NRM tried not to exacerbate political opposition by letting parties ‘exist’ as independent entities. Thus, in what is best conceived as a hegemonic system, minor political organizations are allowed a minimal presence so long as they do not constitute an effective challenge to the ruling Movement organization. This article investigates empirically the state of Uganda’s historical political parties - the Uganda People’s Congress and the Democratic Party - and shows that the specific organizational forms and strategies that the two parties have adopted are a direct response to the no-party framework and the hegemonic context.