Why Elections Need Parties : Managing Free and Fair Elections in Latin America and Africa

A timely exploration of how democracies succeed or stumble at the ballot box. Drawing on compelling cases from Latin America and Africa, this book reveals why some electoral commissions build public trust while others fail and how partisan engagement and institutional design can strengthen election quality and democratic resilience.

Why do some electoral commissions earn public trust while others collapse under pressure? Why Elections Need Parties offers a sharp and timely exploration of how democracies succeed or stumble at the ballot box. Drawing on more than a decade of fieldwork, elite interviews, and archival research across Latin America and Africa, Alejandro Trelles uncovers the institutional and political forces that determine whether electoral management bodies (EMBs) gain real autonomy or become vulnerable to manipulation. Trelles develops a new theory of partisan inclusion to show how party engagement, transparency, and accountability can strengthen, rather than weaken, electoral governance. Through vivid country cases and rich comparative analysis, this book demonstrates how institutional design, consultation mechanisms, and administrative practice shape election quality and democratic resilience.