From Contemporary (Semi-Competitive) Authoritarian Regimes to Constitutional Democracies in Africa: Lessons from The Gambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe

Satang Nabaneh (2024)
University of Washington

We are proud to share that Satang Nabaneh has published her doctoral dissertation, “From Contemporary (Semi-Competitive) Authoritarian Regimes to Constitutional Democracies in Africa,” at the University of Washington.

Her research explores how authoritarian regimes in The Gambia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe use elections both to legitimize power and as a potential pathway to democracy. She introduces the concept of constitutional authoritarianism, showing how legal frameworks can both reinforce and undermine authoritarian rule.

Read the full dissertation here.

https://www.lawtransform.no/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NABANEH_washington_0250E_27308-1.pdf