History of political parties in nigeria will never be complete if mention is not made of the various political bigwigs in the history of this country. Political definition is of or relating to government, a government, or the conduct of government. Three dichotomous, analytical dimensions are developed. Theory attributed to french political scientist maurice duverger, which asserts a nexus in the number of political parties in a democratic state with the electoral system used. This is a list of political parties in the united states, both past and present. It occupies an intermediate field between the social, the philosophicopsychological, and the historical disciplines, and may be termed a branch of applied sociology. In class ix, we noticed the role of political parties in the rise of democracies, in the formation of constitutional designs, in electoral politics and in the making and working of governments. At the same time it is meant to raise interest in, and willingness to contribute to, a party. Politicalparty dictionary definition politicalparty defined.
Political parties play an important role in supporting a democratic institution. Proportional representation nurtures a growth in parties catering to most peoples needs while smv systems over time, restrict parties to only two. Times, sunday times 2007 he said that he wants to challenge the belief of many people that political parties were unable to answer their problems. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. Intrigue, sex, politics and power dominate the drama. But what the democrats can and must do is stop allowing their opponents a free hand to frame the debate about religion and politics. This article mainly focuses on role, functions and performance of political parties in democracies and in the process of contemporary democratization. Chapter 1 focuses on concepts useful in analyzing individual decisions and actions, which surely are the basic stuff. Interparliamentary union, 1998, 2829, publications. The presence of the political party is actually a healthy situation for the nation. Parties play very crucial role in political, economical and cultural development of the country. Political parties originated in their modern form in europe and the united states in the 19th century, along with the electoral and parliamentary systems, whose development reflects the evolution of parties. During campaigns, political parties run television ads, distribute pamphlets, post blogs, and help candidates give speeches. A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government.
Pdf political parties and party systems researchgate. A wellknown definition of political parties comes from the american political scientist antony downs, who wrote. It describes the mechanisms by which two important sets of political institutions interact to give structure to political outcomes in democratic polities. This article examines models of political parties and their relationship to democratic philosophy, with primary attention to normative rather than empirical models. A political party is a team of men seeking to control the governing. Political parties, as one of the essential conditions for democratic consolidation, have brought a new page of democratic politics to hong kong. In this way, voters can see what the parties stand for and choose which party to vote for. The goal of basic political concepts is to provide exactly what the title suggests. Few australians join political parties politics is now the preserve of despised professionals. It is important to distinguish between the form and the substance of elections. The study and analysis of political parties constitutes a new branch of science.
We contend, using counterfactual reasoning, that projects organized around. Role and functions of political parties in democracy is unconstrained. A transnational political party is a single political party with members or representatives in more than one country a wellknown example is the arab baath socialist party, established as an arab nationalist and socialist party aspiring to panarab political union. This article evaluates the role of formal theory in the study of political parties. In this textbook, we have glanced at political parties as vehicles of federal sharing of political power and as negotiators of social divisions in. An analytical framework for comparative studies abstract factionalism can affect the stability and institutionalization of parties and party systems and it can impact on the efficiency and legitimacy of political parties and political systems as a whole. Money and gifts to a party, or its members, may be offered as incentives. The purpose of the political party is to get candidates elected to public office. Political parties and party types konradadenauerstiftung. Indeed, in most countries, parties operate in a realm little regulated by.
However, they are not part of the formal definition of democracy. Several authors have studied political parties and multiparty system and conceptualized party in various ways. A list of the main political parties is included on page 61. The definition of a political party is a group of people with similar political goals and opinions. Political definition of political by merriamwebster. Democracy, freedom and party system into the twentyfirst century glossary bibliography biographical sketch summary political parties function as a gobetween the public and the government and also play. National democratic institute political party programming guide i. In 1921, the communist party of china cpc was founded by chen duxiu and li dazhao in shanghai as a study society and an informal network. The political atmosphere should be good and very stable for a firm to operate successfully.
These were the two major political parties in china during the time when the roc ruled mainland china from 1911 to 1949. It is almost certain that the general election will be dominated by large political parties with a long tradition. Political party definition of political party by the free. By and large, political parties are coalitions of the people organized formally to recruit, nominate and elect candidates for public office. Political parties originated in their modern form in europe and the united. Party institutionalization is defined as the extent to which political parties develop a systematic set of mechanisms and structures that enable them.
Groups, policy demands and nominations in american politics kathleen bawn, martin cohen, david karol, seth masket, hans noel, and john zaller we propose a theory of political parties in which interest groups and activists are the key actors, and coalitions of groups develop. It gives the people a choice to make a more evolved and effective decision. One party system, biparty system or two party system, and multiparty system. Apr 29, 2011 political parties and factions, especially those in government, are lobbied vigorously by organizations, businesses and special interest groups such as trades unions. Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. In view of the present development of political parties, the historical aspect of this new. Party government literature emphasizes the role of political parties in the re cruitment and selection of political elites. It drives the other political parties to get better than their competitors to win elections and rule the nation. A political party is defined as an organised group of people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office.
She said this would enable political parties to mature further and ensure their ability to form governments. In some cases, electoral forms are present but the substance of an election is. It is the political parties which organise the vastly diversified people by nominating candidates for office and by popularising the ideas around which governmental programmes are built. Political party, a group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power. Basic political concepts textbook equity open education. It starts by describing the formal theories of electoral rules and the number of parties. Political parties or party systems are classified into three main kinds. Parties tend to be deeply and durably entrenched in specific substructures of society in a sustainable and well functioning democracy. Government funding of political parties would be in the general public interest and restore confidence in the wider political system. Political environment definition, importance, example. List of political parties in the united states wikipedia.
Political parties are a special form of social organisation. Political party definition and meaning collins english. Political parties are the indispensable links between the people and the representative machinery of government. Even though criticism of political parties is easy and always popular, political parties are indispensable for a democracy. The opposition, then, is essentially a governmentinwaiting kiisa 2005. Are there no practices of trading political favors for money, big money, in the other political parties. Political environment is the state, government and its institutions and legislations and the public and private stakeholders who operate and interact with or influence the system. They will only be able to fulfil their functions when more. Political parties programme handbook eisa gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support for this project from the embassy of finlandpretoria order from. They should not be confused with associations, federations, and social clubs. How political parties define, engage and mobilize their constituents has implications. The national democratic institute ndi is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental orga nization that responds to the aspirations of people around the world to live in democratic soci eties that recognize and promote basic human rights. The origins of political parties political parties are endemic to democracy.
Some countries provide both direct and indirect public funding to political parties. Election, the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting. Eldersveld defined a political party as a system of patterned activity or a group of individuals populating particular roles and behaving as memberactors of a. Topic guide, 2014 democracy democracy is a highly contested concept, both in terms of its definition and its relationship to development. All of this media helps people understand what the political issues are and how government works. Even in authoritarian countries, dictators need political parties to consolidate power and maintain governance. Section seven surveys the different attempts to define the concept of political party, identifies its distinguishing characteristics and clarifies its most basic functions.
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