Political Parties and Party Politics

Abstract

Political parties are widely regarded among the key institutions of modern democracy. In contrast to the Madisonian view that regards parties as ‘sinester interests’ capable of undermining, perverting or usurping the popular will of the majority, contemporary democratic governance is anchored on parties. Indeed, it is parties that are revered as institutions that bring people together for the purpose of exercising political power within the state: parties are the institutions that provide the linkage between citizens and the political process in democratic politics; party platforms offer the best possible arenas for aggregating diverse interests and passion into coherent system-wide mix of public policies