Since independence，the political development of African countries has followed a thorny road，their path exploration has suffered many frustrations due to external intervention. In the 1990s，most African countries introduced the pluralist party system under Western pressure，which bring decades-long political turmoil，social instability and economic stagnation. The situation hasn’t been improved until recent years. In 2013，African political situation maintained the improving momentum with some “hot spot” countries bouncing back from political crisis. However，some underlying problems that affect African political process still exist and play a very important role in African politics. The way for African countries to explore a suitable political development path will be long and tortuous.