Collapse of the Opposition Inter-Party Coalition in Uganda
“It’s not so much what you agree upon, what you write on paper, but something intangible that in the end determines the success of political cooperation,” stated the leader of the Uganda People’s Congress Dr. Olara Otunnu. Hoping to put an end to the dominant-party system of Uganda – where President Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Movement had ruled since 1986 – in 2008, four parties of the opposition gathered under the banner of the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC). Their intention w...
Note de l’éditeur
Cover photo Uganda, Kampala: Ugandan opposition politician Olara Otunnu [C] stands with his supporters following an attack with water canonn by Ugandan police after he refused to stop his protest march through central Kampala on May 10, 2011. Ugandan police on Tuesday arrested opposition leader Nobert Mao who attempted to hold a meeting at a public square in the capital Kampala. Mao, who had been briefly detained last week, was dragged into a van by a handful of plain clothed police officers after a standoff with security forces at Kampala's Constitutional Square as opposition leader, Olara Otunnu, retreated after water cannon and tear gas were fired at them to disperse around 20 opposition members. AFP / Marc HOFER.
Éditeur : Graduate Institute Publications
Lieu d’édition : Genève
Publication sur OpenEdition Books : 25 juin 2013
ISBN numérique : 978-2-940503-30-8
DOI : 10.4000/books.iheid.703
Collection : eCahiers de l’Institut | 20
Année d’édition : 2013
ISBN (Édition imprimée) : 978-2-940503-29-2
“It’s not so much what you agree upon, what you write on paper, but something intangible that in the end determines the success of political cooperation,” stated the leader of the Uganda People’s Congress Dr. Olara Otunnu. Hoping to put an end to the dominant-party system of Uganda – where President Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Movement had ruled since 1986 – in 2008, four parties of the opposition gathered under the banner of the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC). Their intention was to field a single candidate for the 2011 general election, but the IPC collapsed five months before the election day. Through an analysis of official documents, media reports and primary data obtained from interviews with party leaders, this ePaper examines the dynamics of the negotiations which led to the formation and collapse of this coalition. It argues that the claims by party leaders that the coalition fell because of disagreements over whether or not to participate in the elections are but a veil to cover the much deeper relationship issues between coalition members, in which the real explanation for the IPC’s demise lies. Through identifying common grounds between former coalition members, this ePaper proposes new avenues for further cooperation between opposition parties. Among the several lessons to be drawn from the IPC’s downfall, the author emphasises the need for confidence building measures, in order to deal with the underlying feelings of mistrust among members.
Catherine Promise Biira is a PhD Student of International Development Studies at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Her areas of interest include Intergroup relations and Identity, Negotiation, Democratization, Institutions, Political Accountability and Regional Political Integration. She holds an Executive Master in International Negotiation and Policy Making from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva, a Master’s Degree in Development Management from Ruhr University, an M. Administration Degree from University of the Western Cape in South Africa, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences (Political Science and Public Administration) from Makerere University, Kampala. She has worked as Senior National Programme Officer M&E with Population Secretariat in Uganda, and is engaged in several volunteer initiatives to promote Education, Sexual Health and HIV prevention among young people in rural Uganda.
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