SEMINAR PAPER ON

POLITICAL PARTY
SYSTEMS
BY
UGOCHUKWU CHIGOZIE ZIK
MAT NO: 199061156
 The concept of political party and political party system arguably form part of
the evolutionary cradle of democracy and is largely an almost inevitable
component of modern democracy. In spite of the fact that a democracy can
function in a zero-party or nonpartisan basis, it is unarguable that most
democracies in the world practice different variants of political party system.
As Robertson puts it, ‘‘[t]o talk, today, about democracy, is to talk about a
system of competing political parties.’
 D.A Robertson, A Theory of Party Competition, (Wiley: London, 1976)

INTRODUCTION
 Political system has been defined as the set of formal legal institutions
that constitute a “government” or a “state”.
 Political party system as a concept that relates to the system of government by
political parties in a democratic State or country.
 Political party can be defined as any organization or association of persons
with defined ideological inclinations, recognized or permitted by the laws of a
sovereign state to sponsor its members in order to control state power through
periodic elections.

POLITICAL SYSTEM, POLITICAL PARTY

SYSTEM AND POLITICAL PARTY(IES):
DEFINITION
Many countries operate a hybrid system of political party system such that a
clearly-cut categorization may not be possible as the systems overlap in practical
terms.
For our purpose, we shall classify political parties into four (4) types; namely:
 Zero Party System.
 Single Party System (also called one-party or uni-party system).
 Two-Party System.
 Multi-Party System.

TYPES OF POLITICAL PARTY

SYSTEMS.
 We shall x-ray the nature of political parties by bringing out the components and
elements used our operational definition
 Association or Organization
 Legal license to operate as a political party
 Ideology
 Party sponsorship
 Principal objective is to control political power
 Periodic elections
 Socio-political functions and roles

THE NATURE OF POLITICAL

PARTIES
 The formation of political parties is a product of varying circumstances.

THE FORMATION AND OPERATION

OF POLITICAL PARTIES
 Issues surrounding internal party democracy have been about the greatest
challenge in Nigeria’s political party history in contemporary times and this
has manifested in varied forms.
 Araraume v. INEC
 Amaechi v. INEC

INTERNAL PARTY DEMOCRACY

CONTROL OF POLITICAL PARTIES
 The Constitution should be amended to a restrictive multiparty system of not
more than five (5) political parties.
 Some level of ideological precision should be statutorily required from
political parties.

RECOMMENDATION AND
CONCLUSION