Political Parties : Functions, Importance and Party System
Last Updated : 15 Apr, 2025
In a country, several political parties stand for election. The presence of different political parties helps to build healthy competition and proper management of the country. It gives a choice for evolved as well as effective decision-making. A political party is made up of a specific group of people who come together to compete with each other to run a government that will be better able to take care of the needs of the country.
Introduction to Political Party
A political party refers to a group of people and these people come together to contest elections, for holding power in the government. The political parties help in mobilizing the voters to support certain common interests, goals, and concerns. The main role of a political party is to fix certain political agendas and propaganda as well as policies. Each party tries to persuade people with the claim of their policies and how they are better than other parties.
However, in today's political climate, political parties are also vying to have a significant share of power in running the government. It allows voters to express themselves and promote common interests and goals in the country. Every political party must have the following components:
- Leader: This person has the primary responsibility for all the activities that the party carries out.
- Active members: People who have the responsibility of choosing their leader.
- Followers: People who can support, volunteer, donate, and vote for party candidates.
Functions of Political Parties
Every political party has certain functions which they should perform. Some of the important functions of political parties are as follows:
Functions of Political Parties
Competitive Elections
Political parties compete in elections to win a majority and form a government. Members of the political parties choose their candidates who fight for them in elections. Those candidates who either manage to raise a lot of money or are sure to win the election are chosen. Famous personalities are also determined to represent a political party. Candidates are selected by all party members or vital top-party officials.
Policies and Programs
Political parties talk about policies in public. They are trying to convince the public that their party's policies are better. They hold demonstrations, public meetings, and speeches to discuss the policies they would adopt. They discuss the issues facing the country and the policies they would adopt once elected. With such measures, they are trying to gain public support.
Lawmaking
Political parties play a vital role in making laws for the country. Any proposed law is first called a bill. A bill is debated in the legislature, and if it receives a majority, it is considered passed. Such a bill then becomes the law of the land.
Create and run a government
The government is formed by the political party that wins the majority in the elections. That party is called the ruling party. He builds and then runs the government. He makes all the important decisions. Trained and experienced members become ministers who carry out the politicization of the government.
Role of the Opposition
A political party that loses an election forms the opposition party. He controls the ruling party. Opposition parties criticize the ruling government if it implements policies that are not in favor of the masses. They also ensure that the ruling party does not abuse its power.
Formation of Public Opinion
Political parties discuss various issues facing the country, discuss their policies and form public opinion on them. Party-affiliated pressure groups inform the public about various issues. They start movements for the country's problems and mobilize mass support for various issues.
Access to Government Welfare Systems
Political parties form an important link between the public and the government. Leaders are accountable to the people for the policies their party follows. It is easy for the public to reach out to local leaders to voice their demands. Leaders cannot ignore their concerns because the public may not vote for them in the next election.
Importance of Political Parties
The Democracy do not exist without the presence of a political party and this is clear by the function which it performs. In case of no political parties, following will happen:
- Every candidate standing in an election will be independent candidate and any individual candidate do not fulfill the promise of a major policy change to the people and hence no one will be actually responsible for running the country efficiently.
- In long run, only a representative democrcay will be able to survive and political parties will be the agencies for gathering different views on various issues and present it in front of the government.
Need for Political Parties
- For most ordinary citizens, democracy equates to political parties.
- If we travel and survey in rural areas, or remote areas, their knowledge of the constitution may be negligible, but they would definitely have awareness of political parties.
- One of the most visible institutions in a democracy is political parties.
- Political parties are most important to form a government. They are candidates representing various political parties who contest elections at the central, state, and local levels.
- Candidates running in elections choose political parties through their internal mechanisms.
- Political parties create programs and policies and shape public opinion.
- Once the political parties win the elections, they form the government and its policies are implemented based on the manifesto of the political party that won the elections.
- If political parties lose an election, they will sit in the parliament or state assembly in opposition and monitor or criticize the government's policies or actions.
Party System
There are three types of party systems:
- One-Party System
- Two-Party System
- Multi-Party System
One Party System
In one-party system, there is no competition in this system and one party nominates the candidates and voters will have two choices, which is :
Not to vote or write yes or no against the names of candidates nominated by the party.
This party system is prominent in authoritarian regimes and communist countries like North Korea, China etc.
Two- Party System
Two party system refers to the shift in power between two major and dominant parties and winning the election, the winner will have maximum number of votes. Smaller parties merge with bigger parties or they drop out of elections and parliamentary system prevails in Canada and Great Britain.
Multi- Party System
Multi-Party System is the most common form of government and there are three or more parties which have the capacity for gaining control of government separately or in collaboration. In this, no party achieves a clear majority of legislative seats, then several parties join the forces and form a coalition government and India follows Multi- Party system.
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