Lecture 6: Political parties and elections. Why have political parties?

? Best way to ensure peaceful political change = representative democratic government? Representative Democratisation was/is instrument for getting masses into the political system. Competing interests working in existing framework of state - society; a way of avoiding revolution? A way to hold government/executive to account? To give people choice? Factors affecting party performance. Ambivalence towards parties cause division and instability. Used to justify limiting party activity or single party rule? Executive presidential systems focus attention on individual - reduce party role. Party subordinated to leader- dominates policy making. Mass media reduces role of party membership. Membership in decline, parties remote from population? The rise of political parties in Europe. Political parties created by different interests or social cleavages e.g. capital, labour, rural, urban, secular and religious. Started as movements seeking political reform - spread of franchise Liberals. Opposition, i.e. rejection of reform for existing forms and traditions Conservatives. Industrialisation - Labour/ Social Democrats and communist - urban populations. Some peasant parties. Also Catholic parties, Protestants tended to support secular parties. Defence or promotion of interests of different groups gave political parties legitimacy for population. Spread of franchise, parties, especially Left, created large membership base. Tradition of free and fair competition between parties, gave rise to liberal democratic form of democracy. In principle, parties separate from State - work for national interest The rise of political parties in colonial states. Colonial authorities subverted traditional means of political control. Indigenous populations were kept out of politics. State and Nation imposed difficult to identify with them No gradual evolution to participatory politics. Parties developed without large memberships. Priority - national independence not group interests. Complicated by ethnicity and/or religion, led to parties, esp in Africa, being identified with ethnic groups. Nationalist parties against ruling powers, considered outsiders by colonial powers! How to get political experience of opposition or government? Parties most associated with ending of colonial rule acquired most legitimacy. Not best conditions for implantation of multi-party democracy on Western model. The post-colonial party. Africa, majority of newly independent countries had liberal democratic constitution moved away from it. Preoccupation of new rulers - consolidation of nation state. Opposition parties seen as threat to national unity - were restricted or banned - oneparty systems. No loyal opposition to function as choice or to oversee government. Single party colonized state and used resources to consolidate power. Attracted membership because of material advantage, ethnic identity. Party not seen as ruling for national interest. Virtually impossible for any other party to gain power by legitimate means. Cold War - super powers tolerated undemocratic regimes. No inducement to shift to multi-party system, resources continued to flow into state / leaders pockets!

Lack of oversight/criticism inefficient government - stagnation - end of 80s more effective opposition to single party dominance. Helped by end of Cold War. Because of dominance by original leader, difficult for new leaders to come forward, party collapses. Usually replaced by new party of opposition that is coalition of opposition groups, e.g. Zambia, concerns for future stability. Party systems and elections Strong evidence that range of parties linked to electoral system. Harder for new parties to arise where electoral system is plurality, e.g. US. Easier - majoritarian or proportional electoral system. E.g. post Franco election 1975, 200 parties, vast majority disappeared after election, still over 10 parties in Cortez - modified proportional system. Many parties, more electoral choice, more democratic, makes electoral system central to party system in place. Elections Make politicians and political parties compete for support of electorate. Single party states - maybe intra party competition. Have choice between 2 principles: To reflect as nearly as possible the diversity of interests within society To ensure governmental stability Fixing the vote Also ways in which results can be influenced. Voters kept quiet by clientelist relationships with party, or protests banned use of repression, or can ignore electorate because of apathy. Make act of voting difficult provide few voting stations, registering to vote requires filling in forms and a fixed address. Manipulating the voters choice Advantages of incumbency. More access to media, greater exposure than competitors. In some cases can determine when to call election, e.g. France, Spain. May use resources of state to further own interests; e.g. police to intimidate opposition, censorship of media, transport, civil servants etc. Ballot rigging control of returning officers. Manipulating constituency boundaries to gain advantage. Conclusion? Parties on their own do not guarantee real democratic nature of system. Needs attitude within state and population that is well disposed to democratic practice. Needs system of parties that reflects diversity of interests in nation with healthy membership that has participatory role in policy making. Needs electoral system that allows effective expression of electorates wishes.