In the last years, several African countries have experienced alternation in power. As the list of longest-serving rulers in the continent shrinks, debates have sparked about the impact of these events on regime durability, party system stability and overall democratic development. While leadership succession has been a relevant topic in the study of political processes in general, it has been mainly analyzed at the presidential/executive level. In fact, little is known about the dynamics and dimensions of intra-party leadership change. This paper focuses on leadership succession within historical African political parties. It argues that the varying origins of these parties (violent vs nonviolent) induce power transfers by birth, in which power goes into the hands of a dynastic successor, or by open internal party races. Specific historical, ideological and organizational legacies, resulting from the violent revolutionary struggles shape intra-party power structures and how leadership succession unfolds. The argument is tested through a comparative historical analysis that traces the processes of leadership succession back to the introduction of multiparty elections until the most recent “battle” for leadership within the party. It covers historical political parties from six countries, Angola (MPLA), Mozambique (FRELIMO), Zimbabwe (ZANU-PF), Kenya (KANU), Botswana (BDP) and Malawi (MCP). Multiple sources, such as parties' documentation, elite interviews, and news on the media, serve as the basis to test our claims. The study sheds light on how historical parties choose their leaders, and how this shapes intra-and-extra party competition. Additionally, looking at differences within and between parties over time allows us to capture the contextual factors (e.g. electoral cycle factors, economic crisis, and political conflict etc.) that also concur to explain variation in leadership succession more globally.

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