Political Parties in Conflict Prone Societies: Encouraging Inclusive Politics and Democratic Development

Political Parties in Confl ictProne Societies: Encouraging Inclusive Politics and Democratic Development P parties are an essential component of representative democracy. Th ey organize voters, aggregate and articulate interests, craft policy alternatives, recruit and socialize new candidates for offi ce, set policy-making agendas, integrate disparate groups and individuals into the democratic process, and provide the basis for coordinated electoral and legislative activity. Well-functioning political parties are therefore central to the process of democratic development. Since the start of the third wave of democratization in 1974, various multiparty systems have been introduced in new, restored and emerging democracies around the world. Today more countries decide on their leaders through multiparty elections than ever before. Th e number of competitive democracies has increased threefold, and the number of political parties now contesting elections worldwide has increased many times more over the last 30 years. Multiparty politics, however, is no guarantee of development. It may empower vulnerable groups, increase transparency, mediate confl ict and achieve redistribution of income to the poor—but multiparty politics may also subvert the broader process of democratization by empowering already dominant elites, marginalizing minorities and, perhaps most seriously, mobilizing ethnic, regional and religious groups against each other. As a result, there is a growing trend for developing democracies to attempt to shape their party systems by regulating the way parties can form, organize and behave. Importantly, most of the initiatives and innovations emanate from new democracies rather than established ones, and the impetus for crafting parties is often nationally or regionally driven—rather than dictated or inspired from Western examples. Th is policy paper examines this growing trend towards overt intervention in political party development. Overview