Political Parties and Party Systems

Political parties are organized groups of people with shared ideas about how a country should be governed, aiming to influence government policies. A party system describes how a country’s political parties interact—such as whether one party dominates, multiple parties compete equally, or there are many small parties. Common types include single-party, two-party, and multi-party systems. These structures shape political decision-making, elections, and representation, influencing how citizens’ interests are represented and how stable or dynamic a country’s politics may be.