Identify Political Parties

A political party is an organization of people who share and believe in a particular set of ideologies for what that state should be doing for its citizens. A party should as well, has a set of policy objectives. If the people view you as having goals and a purpose for their country, they would want to see you as the man/woman in charge. Political parties organize candidates and raise money for elections. Having the right candidate is key to winning an election. Most modern political parties rely heavily on the support of the public to remain in office. There are three different types of regimes around the world. The first is a parliamentary regime which develops all power fused together. The executive branch and the legislative branch are combined and brought together into one. Secondly, having a presidential regime leads to a separation of power. There is no fusion of power whatsoever within this regime. The United States of America is a perfect example of having a presidential regime. The executive leader, known as the president, is voted upon the office. Lastly, having a semi-presidential regime leads to a shared power. The president still exists, but he is not the only one with the power to the state. Alongside is a prime minister and a cabinet, chosen by the president. All together they share responsibility for the
legislation of the state. With the intention of one choosing a leader, electoral laws were made to regulate topics within the political system. In the United States, it is winner takes it all. The leader is determined on the basis of who secures the majority of the votes in a single election. Through this winner take it all concept, it is virtually impossible for a multi-party system to secure any number of votes. Maurice Duverger, a French sociologist, wanted to understand the nature and relativity of democratic effectiveness of the political parties that employ them. In his eyes, having a two-party system will naturally result in a winner take all, or plurality, voting system. Voters are more likely to act strategically when selecting their candidate due to the fact of wanting their vote to count. Understandably, voters are less likely to vote for a party who they perceive as a waste of time. The creation of a two-party system is based upon Duverger’s law that states two parties tend to emerge in order to receive a plurality vote. According to his example, if there were three different parties and/or candidates running in the same election consisting of 100 voters. The two candidates that ended up with low numbers, will come together. The two candidates will work together over time in defeating the other candidates, thus producing two parties. Other parties can no longer secure any form of representation resulting in getting “tossed aside”. In other countries, such as Europe, the electoral system is based upon a system of proportional representation.
This method rewards a seat in the legislature centered on the number of votes gained by the candidate in the electoral contest itself. Having a proportional representation leads away from having a two-party system and towards the creation of a multi-party. This allows smaller, multi-party systems, to be elected. By having a proportional representation, it allows parties to run on the basis of a particular ideological platform. Having this appeals more votes because they have a share of beliefs of the overall
ideology. Political parties should be seen as organizations that are invented and used by ambitious politicians and party officials who seek office and power, no matter if it is a two-party or multi-party system. Electoral laws play a big role in determining the number of parties.