Political party

A political party is an organisation that organises the efforts of candidates to run for office in elections held in a given nation. It is very uncommon for members of the same political party to have political beliefs, and parties often work toward accomplishing certain ideological or policy objectives.

As contemporary party organisations have grown and expanded over the globe over the course of the past several centuries, political parties have evolved into a significant component of the political system in almost every nation. It is highly unusual for a nation to be devoid of all of its major political parties. In some nations, there is only one major political party, whereas in others there are dozens. Parties are essential to the political process in autocracies as well as democracies, despite the fact that democracies often have a greater number of political parties than autocracies do. In autocracies, the nation is often governed by a single party, but in democracies, there is typically rivalry between two or more parties. Some political scientists believe party competition to be an important component of democracy.

Parties are able to emerge from pre-existing differences in society, such as those that exist between the poorer and higher classes. Furthermore, parties simplify the process of political decision-making by encouraging its members to collaborate with one another. Political parties typically consist of a party leader, who bears primary responsibility for the activities of the party; party executives, who may select the leader and who perform administrative and organisational tasks; and party members, who may volunteer their assistance to the party, donate money to it, and vote for its candidates. The party leader is typically the most senior member of the party executive committee. There is a wide variety of organisational frameworks that political parties may use, as well as modes of engagement with the voters. The financial and non-financial donations that individuals make to political parties are often governed by laws, and political parties have been known to rule in a manner that is favourable to the individuals who give them both time and money.

The pursuit of ideological objectives drives the activities of many political parties. In democratic elections, it is usual for parties that adhere to liberal, conservative, and socialist ideologies to compete against one another. Other typical ideologies of extremely big political parties include communism, populism, nationalism, and Islamism. When trying to identify oneself as adhering to a specific philosophy, political parties in other nations may often adopt colours and symbols that are visually similar to one another. However, a large number of political parties do not adhere to any particular ideology and may be more concerned in patronage, clientelism, or the growth of a particular political entrepreneur.