Opposition Parties and Democratic Consolidation: A comparative Analysis of Sri Lanka and Nigeria’s Democracies

Abstract

The survival of any true democracy depends largely on the functions of the existing institutions within the political system. Political parties in our modern day democracy were identified as one of such important institutions. It has been observed that, without well-functioning parties, governments and legislatures have little chance of representing wider society in a meaningful way. Parties are the bridge between government and society, both in the ways they translate society’s demands into political ideas and programmes, and in the way they hold government to account on society’s behalf. Therefore, the need for strong and sustainable political parties with the capacity to represent citizens and provide policy choices that demonstrate their ability to govern for the public good cannot be overemphasized. This paper uses content analysis and specialized interviews to examine the role played by opposition parties in democratic consolidation in emerging democracies such as Sri Lanka and Nigeria. It is also the objective of the research to determine the effectiveness of the political parties in containing the challenges of growing complexity of anti-democratic forces.