Factors and Conditions Triggering the Formation of Political Coalitions

Abstract

Party coalitions have become very important in contemporary African politics in parliamentary and presidential systems. The dawn of democracy in the third world, and Africa in particular, witnessed significant democratic developments. African political parties have increasingly seen the value of cooperation and have built coalitions and alliances to achieve similar goals. Key amongst these developments have been the formation of political coalitions. Several factors and conditions have triggered the formation of political coalitions and alliances in most African countries. A coalition is a grouping of rival political parties that, in most cases, are motivated by the perception of a common threat or recognition that their goals cannot be attained by not coalescing. The management of a coalition is also critical in order to attain stability. The rationale is that stability becomes important to parties when they enter their coalition pact.