Deepening Regional Democracy: The Role of Political Parties in the East African Legislative Assembly Elections

This study assesses the role of political parties in deepening regional democracy in the East African Community (EAC). The study focuses on the involvement of political parties in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) elections. It assesses whether the legal framework for the EALA elections promotes the deepening of regional democracy. Further, it reviews the methods political parties have used to nominate the EALA representatives, in order to ascertain whether it fosters participation of East Africans in the integration process. Efforts at regional integration in East Africa have been long drawn. Commencing during the early years of colonial rule, and tracing the East African High Commission (EAHC), the East African Common Services Organization (EACSO), the East African Community (EAC) I, and the EAC II, these efforts have encountered significant challenges, particularly in the area of political integration. The EAC Partner States have pursued diverse strategies to achieve the objectives of integration. Yet, popular participation of East Africans in the integration process remains low. Popular participation is underpinned by the logic that the sovereign will of East Africans not only forms the basis for governance, but more importantly would confer legitimacy to the institutions of the EAC. In particular, the EALA is expected to facilitate participation and representation of East Africans in the integration process. Popular participation, which guarantees the right of East Africans to vote and compete, in the EALA elections is thus a prerequisite for the deepening of regional democracy. The study examines the conundrum of popular participation and the institutions expected to facilitate participation of East Africans in the integration process. The study postulates that it is only the conduct of direct elections for the EALA representatives, on the basis of adult universal suffrage, that will promote a people-centred integration process and the deepening of regional democracy.