and obligations towards the party on whose ticket the MP is elected on the other? Which powers do parliamentary groups need towards dissident MPs? (4) Does the general possibility of independent candidacies weaken the role of Political Parties within Parliament (5) Under which conditions may carpet crossing be(dis)allowed? Lunch break 14:30 h 13:00 – Topic 6 Presenter: Political parties and coalition governments 14:30 – 16:30 h Prof. Walter Oyugi, University of Nairobi, Kenya Discussant: Chair: Hon. Veda Baloomoody(Member Central Committee, MMM­Mauritius.), Knox Gomes Varela(Secretary General, PPM-Malawi) Akashambatwa M. Lewanika(Official Spokesperson, MMD­Zambia) (1) Where in Africa have coalition governments existed/do coalition governments currently exist? In which cases did they come about as result of power sharing arrangements prior to elections? To what extent did these cases adhere to legal requirements or concordance models for transformation periods? In which cases did coalition governments come about only after elections, i.e. as an outcome of election results? (2) Which reasons can be identified for the rarity of coalition governments? (3) What determines the strength, success or failure of coalition governments? Under which circumstances can coalition governments be stable? Coffee Break CLOSING: Conclusions and the way forward Chair: G. Erdmann 16:30 – 17:00 h 17:00 – 18:00 h Dinner END OF CONFERENCE 20:00 30