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Addresses some of the questions raised by Michels, McKenzie and Duverger about oligarchic tendencies and undemocratic features in party organization in light of the experience of 2 new parties. (Abstract amended)

Die politische Kultur Bulgariens ist durch eine ausgeprägte Parteienfeindlichkeit geprägt. Die Struktur des neuen, postkommunistischen Parteiensystems ist daher ein unabhängiger Faktor im Konsolidierungsprozeß der bulgarischen Demokratie. Obwohl das bulgarische Parteiensystem in Anlehnung an ein konsensuelles Demokratieverständnis konzipiert war, gibt es eine Entwicklungstendenz in Richtung auf ein Mehrheitssystem. Bis 1994 war keine Partei der Mitte im bulgarischen Parlament vertreten. Die Differenzierung des Parteiensystems vollzog sich entsprechend im Rahmen eines bipolaren Systems. Die Zusammensetzung des 1994 gewählten Parlaments könnte diese Entwicklung modifizieren. (BIOst-Wpt)

Political parties are a vital element in the quality of representative democracy, playing a crucial role in mobilization, competition, governance, and accountability. Despite their importance, however, we currently know relatively little about how political parties in Africa are organized, with most evidence restricted to journalistic accounts or country-specific scholarly accounts. This symposium, which comes out of a conference on political parties held at the University of Cape Town, takes a closer look at the development of party structures and organization across the continent. It seeks to answer a number of critical questions including: What affects the organizational structure of parties? How do party primaries affect party-building and electoral success? And what effect does the shrinking of open political space have on the ways in which parties organize? Taken as a whole, this symposium brings together established and emerging scholars, to systematically explore, for the first time, what party organization looks like on the African continent, and how it affects critical issues of governance, mobilization, and accountability.

Political parties are the heart of every parliamentary democracy. This post aims to explore what categorises political party-structure as autocratic and postulates a reform of political parties in Poland as partially inspired by German legal solutions. Namely, the main executive body of the party must consist of at least three members elected no less frequently than every two years. Furthermore, all party members must be allowed to propose electoral candidates. Finally, decisions on party offices and electoral nominations must be carried out by a secret ballot.

AbstractInventory of current issues and activities dealing with change in party organizations at the state level; indicates areas where continued research is needed.