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In a representative democracy, citizens are governed by their representatives who are subjected to periodic review through general (and local government) elections which either renew the mandate of the representatives or change such leadership through the ballot and not the bullet. Political parties are the heart of politics in a representative democracy. It is, however, worth reiterating the argument that, while parties are a vital political asset to a vibrant, thriving democracy, they also have great potential to become a political liability to democracy. Whether political parties prove to be an asset or a liability depends crucially, among other things, on the context within which they operate their mode of internal governance and how they respond to external political stimuli.
While the democratic transition from one-party to multiparty democratic systems in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region since the 1990s is to be celebrated, the region is still a long way from being able to celebrate an institutionalized culture of intra-party democracy.
ISBN: 978-91-85724-23-9
Publisher: IDEA
Year of Publication: 2007
Comment on Political Parties in Southern Africa: the state of parties and their role in democratization