This new article by Dr Will Jones brings together the literature on ‘electoral authoritarian regimes’ with the sub-fields of diaspora studies and transnationalism to evaluate the potential of political parties in exile to be forces for positive change in Rwanda. Published in the Journal of Eastern African Studies, it asks the question: “is the participation of the Rwandan opposition in exile in electoral processes back home likely to be a positive force for change?”
Through reviewing the Rwandan electoral system and exiled opposition, and giving a detailed account of the 2010 election to unpack the possibilities for transnational political change, it concludes that in Rwanda at least, elections cannot be won transnationally. It states, “Operating in a transnational space appears to make life harder for the opposition, but not the Rwandan state.”
Read the article here: Victoire in Kigali, or: why Rwandan elections are not won transnationally
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