Forming and Maintaining Intra-Party Relationships: a Two Party Comparative Study

Abstract

In recent times political parties appear to have focused narrowly on winning elections to the detriment of the effective management of their intra-party relationships and this is what necessitated this study. The study sought to examine the management of internal relationships among party officers and members at the constituency level. This study focused on the two leading parties in Ghana – National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party with all constituencies in Ghana as the target population. The sample of the study was made up of twenty four participants drawn from eight constituencies, four constituencies each for the two parties under study. The study is qualitative in nature and so in-depth interviews were used to gather the necessary data. This data was analysed qualitatively using the thematic and textual technique. The study found that the political parties do practice some of the elements of relationship marketing. Six of these elements (communication, conflict management, competence, partnership and social bonding, empowerment and culture) are been practiced by the two parties as indicated by the data. The findings show that there are more similarities between the two parties, yet there is still some internal wrangling among the two parties particularly in the New Patriotic Party. The study concludes that, it is important for political parties to realize that there cannot be any internal harmony and relationship without the six variables and particularly communication.