Politicians and political analysts have always lamented the unfair advantages incumbents have as far as resources (both private and state) are concerned. The argument is that without being accorded resources ( especially financial) some political parties in many African countries have been denied the chance to perform to be best of their potential which becomes more of an impediment to the growth of democracy which have always been very deficient in our continent.
It is very important to understand that democracies in many parts of the world, including the African continent cannot function without political parties. I am saying this because political parties in a democracy are expected to reflect the concerns of citizens, aggregate and mediate diverse interests, project a vision of a society and develop policy options accordingly. Political parties in a continent thirsty of democracy like Africa are supposed to inspire and attract supporters to their cause, with their membership being the key importance in their claim to represent the citizens. In Africa it does not need a rocket scientist to show anyone that political parties (mostly in the opposition) are really struggling to generate income to finance not just their day to day running activities but their electoral campaigns. I have to point out that research has shown that in both new and older democracies political parties are under pressure as they are faced with escalating costs of campaigning during elections. Their problems of fundraising are causing anxiety not just to politicians but to all ordinary Africans who passionately care about democracy.
