Party Systems

• There are five main types of party systems: the dominant-party, two-party, two-and-a-half party and multi-party system.
• • A single-party system (one-party state) is a system in which only one party exists and all other parties banned.
  • The single party has complete control over the election and often exists in political systems in which one person rules.
  • The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) operates in a single-party system.
  • The Lao People's Revolutionary Party in Laos is the only legal political party.
• • A dominant-party system is where only 1 party has a realistic chance of winning political power even though a number of parties stand in the election.
  • This could be because of electoral fraud, exploitation of state resources or genuine popularity.
  • The African National Congress in South Africa has won every election since 1994
  • In Japan, the Liberal-Democratic Party has been in power almost continually since 1955.
• • A two-party system is where only two political parties have a chance of success at an election and so power shifts between those two parties.
  • The FPTP electoral voting system is more likely to result in a 2-party system
• • Conservatives and Labour have won every UK general election in recent years.
  • The United States of America has a two-party system in which either the Republicans or Democrats win the presidential election.
• • Two main parties exist in the party system, but a third, smaller party challenges the dominance of the two main parties.
  • In the 2010-2015 coalition government, the Liberal Democrats could be argued to be the half-party.
  • They didn't achieve enough votes to form a majority but could support the Conservatives in a coalition.
• • A multi-party system is where more than two parties have the possibility of winning an election or of being able to take up a role in power as part of a governing coalition.
  • The government in a multi-party system will often be a coalition made up of a number of political parties.
  • A multi-party system often is the result of a proportional representation voting system.
• • Germany is an example of a multi-party system, where coalitions are formed to govern the country.
  • In 2018 the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union formed a coalition agreement with the Social Democratic Party following the 2017 national election.
• • There has been support at general elections for minority parties in recent years and a number of parties are seen as important political players.
  • In other national assembly elections, minority parties have had success in elections that don't use FPTP.
  • Other voting systems (such as AV) can help elect parties with a more thinly spread support.
  • But, the percentage vote share for minor parties fell in 2017.
• • It could be argued that the UK reflected a dominant-party system under the Conservatives from 1979-1997 and under Labour from 1997-2010.
• • Only Labour and Conservatives have a chance of forming a government or being the leading partner within a coalition.
  • They still take a large % of the popular vote in elections and party membership is still the highest.
  • Minor parties in UK politics have not been able to maintain much popularity and support, and their success rarely lasts.
  • UKIP’s support has collapsed and the Green Party’s support has declined, they have failed to add to their 1 MP as of 2017.
• • The 2010-2015 could be argued to be a 2 1/2 party system, with the Liberal Democrats the 'half' party.
  • While the Conservatives had a majority in 2015, they lost it after the 2017 snap election.
  • The need to rely on a 3rd party to support the government suggests that the UK may have a 2 1/2 party system.
  • But, in the 2019 general election the Lib Dems lost 49 seats, making their presence in parliament much smaller.