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Constitutional Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Constitutional Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors/Editors

Publication date

December 2024

ISBN

978-4-258-04667-6

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About this book

About this book

This is the first Japanese research book to analyze the dynamic interplay between constitutions and politics in sub-Saharan Africa. In a region with many autocratic governments despite citizens’ aspirations for democracy and human rights, constitutions often become the focal point of conflict between the government, opposition parties, and ordinary citizens, highlighting the tensions between ideals and reality. This book looks at eight countries—Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, and Cote d'Ivoire—and examines the constitutional amendment movements, political conflicts, and citizen movements of each country through specific examples. This book, which contributes to the fields of African studies and comparative politics, provides new insights not only for readers interested in Africa but also for those interested in a wide range of topics.endix) are presented.

Contents

Perface

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Abbreviations

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Introduction
The Study of Constitutional Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Chapter 1
Replacing Constitutions: A Multifaceted Analysis of Constitutional Replacements in Nigeria as a Narrative of Nation-State Building

Takehiko Ochiai

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Chapter 2
Politics of Constitution-Unmaking: Elections and the Party System in Zambia in the 21st Century

Mitsugi Endo

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Chapter 3
From Democratic Backsliding to Democratization: The Constitution and Politics in Kenya 1963–2023

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Chapter 4
An Endeavor to Formulate a New Constitution and Opposition Politics in Tanzania: Focusing on the Union between the Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar

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Chapter 5
Constitution, Authoritarianism, and Power Struggles in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study of Côte d’Ivoire

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Chapter 6
Dynamics of Constitutional Politics: Party Politics and Factional Rivalries in Mozambique

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Chapter 7
Election Systems and Constitutional Politics in South Africa

Author:Kumiko Makino

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Chapter 8
Ethno-Federalism in Ethiopia: Examination of the Discrepancy between the Constitution and Reality

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Preface

Preface

Despite having constitutions that promotes democracy and national unity, dictatorial rule and civil wars are common in many sub-Saharan African countries. Human rights violations may persist despite constitutional protections intended to safeguard these rights. Although leaders of sub-Saharan African countries tend to disregard constitutional values, they often resort to constitutional reform to strengthen their rule, crafting provisions with meticulous precision. In response to such behavior, political actors and citizens critical of the regime frequently engage in sustained opposition movements, making demands regarding constitutional principles and practices. In some cases, these demands lead to actual constitutional change. In this way, constitutions in authoritarian or increasingly authoritarian regimes serve as a backdrop to dynamic arenas, where the clash between ideals and reality, institutional abuse, the political strategies of rulers, and conflicts between regimes and opposition movements continually unfold.

Such a complex and dynamic constitutional landscape is a common feature of developing and emerging countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the first research project conducted in Japan to concentrate on constitutional politics in sub-Saharan Africa, a topic that has been largely overlooked in a comprehensive manner until now. It consists of an introductory chapter that provides a detailed context for the research followed by eight case studies covering—clockwise from the northeast of the African continent—Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. Each case study is based on the authors’ long-term research and incorporates the latest developments in their country of study. The chapters are written with a view toward contributing to comparative political science as well. We hope that this book will appeal not only to readers interested in African area studies but also to those whose primary interests lie outside of Africa.

This research project began as a draft plan in the fall of 2019. From fiscal year (FY) 2020 to FY 2021, preparatory research was conducted involving only researchers from the Institute of Developing Economies. On this basis, starting in FY 2022, we organized the “Constitutional Revisions and Politics in sub-Saharan Africa” research group with external members, and this book is the result of two years of research. The entire five-year period from planning to publication coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Hajime Sato (Nanzan University), who gave a lecture on the Indian Constitution as an external lecturer, and to the members of the research group, who produced high quality results despite tremendous constraints not only in their professional lives but also their personal lives.

Editor