Multi-party system

Multi-party system in Germany, shown here based on the distribution of seats in the German Bundestag from 2009 to 2013

A multi-party system is (as a rule in contrast to a one-party system ) a political system in which at least potentially several parties can steer the politics of this state , in particular through government participation . This increases the chance of articulating the political will of the people through different parties or through different factions and associations within a party.

Differentiation from the one-party system

The concept of a party originally presupposes that there are several parties in a country that are in competition with one another in elections. In a one-party state, on the other hand, only one party is allowed, as in the Soviet Union or the Third Reich . Some dictatorships, such as the GDR , allowed multiple parties, but only one party had actual power. One speaks of a “de facto one-party system” when a system of several parties is only made up for an appearance: One of the parties consequently dominates the party system so strongly that the other parties cannot spark any functioning party competition. For example, in the GDR, the “ block parties ” in the so-called “socialist multi-party system” did not play an essential role alongside the determining SED .

In a pluralistic democracy , several parties are permitted or can freely set up and operate. Nevertheless, it can happen that one of the parties is so strong that the others only play an insignificant role (possibly at the local level). An example of such a hegemonic party system is South Africa with the ANC as the hegemon (ruler).

Different multi-party systems

In addition to the one-party system and the hegemonic system, Giovanni Sartori names the following types:

Dominant party system
Two-party system
Moderate pluralism, with five to six relevant parties
Polarized pluralism
Extreme atomization

For the Federal Republic of Germany from 1961 to 1983 the term “two and a half party system” was used, referring to the two large parties CDU / CSU and the SPD on the one hand and the small FDP on the other.

Which group you assign a specific party landscape in a state can depend on the point in time, but also on whether you take into account all those represented in parliaments, for example, or only those involved in governments. Thus, although valid UK traditionally a two-party system, but were asking a lot more parties MPs. Conversely, France is familiar with a large number of new and reorganizations, but the presidential elections usually lead to a clear dichotomy between left and right.

The question arises to what extent parties should ideally be viewed from the point of view of a dichotomy, like Maurice Duverger , or whether, according to Klaus von Beyme , a kind of five-party system is imposing. When thinking about the word party, one should not only think of a specific party, but also of a political direction or a political camp. Pluralism theories explain the diversity of parties in part with social milieus .

According to an idea formulated by Maurice Duverger ( Duverger's law ), a majority electoral system necessarily leads to a two-party system. A proportional representation system, however, promotes a large number of parties. Since it is generally easier in the latter system to win mandates even as a small party, the idea sounds plausible. The examination of reality shows, however, that several factors influence the party landscape, especially the number and type of lines of conflict in society, such as employees / entrepreneurs, Catholics / Protestants, town / country.

Calculation of the parties

According to Giovanni Sartori (1976), only “relevant parties” are used for the count. Parties are considered relevant if:

for the formation of government coalitions are required "or"
can unleash a “blackmail potential” on party competition in other ways, for example by polarizing the party landscape.

According to Laakso and Taagepera (1979) the "effective number of parties" is calculated according to the number of votes received in elections using the following formula:

{\ displaystyle N = {\ frac {1} {\ sum _ {i = 1} ^ {n} p_ {i} ^ {2}}}}

Here n is the number of all parties and p _{i is} their relative share of the vote (as a fraction of 1).

However, the calculation method is problematic in electoral systems with threshold clauses (such as the five percent clause in Germany), as parties that fail this hurdle are also included in the calculation. A calculation based on the mandates obtained comes into question here.

Web links

Wiktionary: Multi-party system - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

^ After Dieter Nohlen: Wahlrecht und Partyensystem , 3rd edition. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2000, p. 67.
^ Giovanni Sartori: Parties and Party Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976.
^ Giovanni Sartori: Parties and Party Systems , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976
↑ Laakso, M. and R. Taagepera: Effective Number of Parties: A Measure with Application to West Europe. In: Comparative Political Studies 12: 3-27, 1979.

[1] After Dieter Nohlen: Wahlrecht und Partyensystem , 3rd edition. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2000, p. 67.

[2] Giovanni Sartori: Parties and Party Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976.

[3] Giovanni Sartori: Parties and Party Systems , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976

[4] Laakso, M. and R. Taagepera: Effective Number of Parties: A Measure with Application to West Europe. In: Comparative Political Studies 12: 3-27, 1979.