Roles of Political Parties in Democratic and Non-Democratic States

Political parties in democratic states have broad-based roles compared to those operating in governments that are not democratic at all. For instance, in a country where democratic ideals are not practiced, political parties have limited powers and duties to perform. In most cases, there is usually a single ruling party that is mandated to champion the needs of the incumbent and not citizens. However, a political party in a democratic state plays more of a protective role to the citizens by creating a suitable environment through which democracy can prevail. One role of a political party is to create a team of people who share common ideologies and political understandings. Through such a team, an organization with the outfit of a political party comes into existence. In other words, a political party has the role of seeking common support and making use of a collective bargain method in championing the welfare of citizens.

Political power cannot be exercised without the presence of political parties. There is a need for a political organization for politics to pursue, and political parties do exactly that. These political parties can also provide a very formidable opposition bench to the sitting government. By so doing, political parties in a democratic state act as watchdogs on all government operations. Moreover, a political party that forms part of the incumbent regime is very instrumental in providing organizational and governance support because each government requires people to implement its policies in different political positions. This political leadership is drawn from political parties. Moreover, political parties have a noble role in creating policies as well as articulating them for the smooth running of a country. This is achieved through diverse ideas which are debated by political parties at their party level.