Political parties and elections play an important role in the analysis of politics in developing countries, particularly in the analysis of democratization, and specifically the consolidation of democratic political regimes. Among political scientists, the existence of free and fair elections on a regular basis is considered the minimal condition for a democracy (democratic regime) (Dahl 1971; Diamond 1999). A political party is defined as a political group that is officially recognized as being part of the electoral process and who can support (put forth) candidates for elections (free or not) on a regular basis (Sartori 1976). In this way, political parties (party system) and elections are used as a measure of the consolidation of a society's democracy. As an external standard, there is a "two-turnover" criterion (Huntington 1991). By this criterion, a democracy may be considered to be consolidated if a party that takes power in an election at the time of transition to a democracy loses a subsequent election (not necessarily immediately following the first election), and if the subsequent ruling party then loses a later election."From a deeper perspective, it is when elections involve the true competition of political parties based on their proposed policies and platforms, and not the popularity of individual political candidates or voting based on special interests, that consolidation of democracy is advanced (Kitschelt 1995; Mainwaring 1999).
On the other hand, even under authoritarian regimes, in many countries political parties exist and elections are held. In many cases, such countries established parliamentary governments directly after gaining independence from colonial powers or after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Subsequently, although the civilian government was replaced by dictatorships or by military rule after a coup-d'etat, the political institutions including electoral and parliamentary systems, in most cases, were not removed, because elimination of such institutions would significantly damage the legitimacy of the current political administration. Those in power utilize the political party as a vehicle to propagate the regime's ideology among the citizenry and to create a base of political support (Binder 1978). In addition, it is not unusual for the ruling powers to "produce" elections to "demonstrate" that they were chosen by the people, allowing the participation of other political parties under limitations. This also has the effect of dividing moderate and hard-line opposition groups, thereby weakening the entire opposition to the regime (Lust-Okar 2004). However, such illegitimate elections can also trigger mass protests that may even result in regime change, as seen in the cases of the Philippines, Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan.
How, then, do political parties and elections of democracies in developing regions differ from those in the United States and Europe? First, political parties do not have a wide base of support, but rather, tend to appeal to a wide variety of social groups (Özbudun 1987). In election results , it becomes difficult to see how the relations between political parties reflect the interests of and value systems of the societies. Rather, they appear as comprehensive conflicts that can be characterized as establishment vs. anti-establishment or conservative vs. revolutionary. The reasons for this are (1) the absence of a homogeneous working class (Dix 1989), (2) the need for coalition-building due to the large numbers of ethnic, religious, sectarian, and language groups (Mozaffar, Scarritt, and Galaich 2003), (3) the fact that the transition to a multiple-party system was made under universal suffrage (in contrast with the United States and Europe, where suffrage was gradually extended within a multi-party system), each of the emerging parties tries to appeal to all the social groups (Hazama 2006). Secondly, in countries in which a relatively large proportion of the population live in rural areas and are involved in farming, voters are primarily concerned with their regional interests and, therefore, tend to vote for regional parties. In rural areas, political parties promise to bring benefits to the region and thereby garner the overwhelming support of voters in the region. The resulting government comprises a wide variety of political parties each with a few seats, but rather than representing the pluralistic interests and values that span across society, each party tends to represent the individual interests and values of its own region or voting district. As such, on the one hand, the ruling party is made up of a coalition of many regional parties and, on the other hand, the opposition party is made up of parties representing the interests of specific regions (Barkan 2001).
Answers and Review for Multiple Choice Practice on Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations
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⛔STOP!⛔ Before you look at the answers make sure you gave this practice quiz a try so you can assess your understanding of the concepts covered in unit 4. Click here for the practice questions:AP Comp Gov Unit 4 Multiple Choice Questions.
Facts about the test: The AP Comp Gov exam has 55 multiple choice questions and you will be given 60 minutes to complete the section. That means it should take you around 15 minutes to complete 15 questions.
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*The following questions were not written by CollegeBoard and although they cover information outlined in the AP Comparative Government Course and Exam Description the formatting on the exam may be different.
1. Which of the following is true about Iran's political party system?
A. Parties have ethnic quotas that affect representation in Iran's federal legislature.
B. One party controls the legislature.
C. Iran lacks formal political party structures.
D. Iran has a multiparty system that is dominated by a religious party.
Answer: Iran lacks formal political party structures. Parties operate as loosely formed political alliances with questionable linkage to constituents.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.3: Political Party Systems
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2. Which countries have a degree of competition within multiparty systems?
A. Nigeria and Russia
B. Mexico and the UK
C. Mexico and Nigeria
D. Nigeria and the UK
Answer: Nigeria's multi party system includes 30 registered political parties with 2 strong parties. The UK's party systems 2 competitive parties, but minor parties are able to win some legislative representation.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.3: Political Party Systems
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3. Which of the following is an implication for competitiveness of the electoral process in Nigeria and Iran?
A. Iran's Guardian Council which encourages free and fair elections, and Nigeria's pattern of the incumbent winning.
B. Nigeria's independent electoral commission, and Iran's limits on who can run for office.
C. Both countries ban women from running in elections.
D. Nigeria's quotas for minority groups, while Iran reserves no seats for specific groups.
Answer: In 1998, the Nigerian government established an independent electoral commission to encourage competitiveness in elections. Iran's Guardian Council vets candidates that run for office, therefore limiting competition
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.2: Objectives of Election Rules
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4. How are legislative members chosen in China?
A. The National People's Congress indirectly selects members through local elections.
B. The National People's Congress vets candidates that run for office to reduce competition.
C. Members are directly elected in single-member districts by plurality.
D. Members are appointed by regional governors.
Answer: The NPC members are chosen indirectly through a representative hierarchy system. Delegates are elected in local villages and go through a series of tiers until they are elected in the NPC.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.1: Electoral Systems and Rules
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5. What is NOT an advantage of a proportional representation electoral system?
A. Proportional representation can promote two-party systems which allows for greater accountability.
B. Proportional representation results in all votes being translated to seat representation.
C. Proportional representation can increase the number of women and minority candidates.
D. Proportional representation can promote a multiparty system which allows for minority party representation.
Answer: Single-member district plurality systems promote two-party systems, not proportional representation.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.1: Electoral Systems and Rules
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6. In which two focus countries do runoff elections occur if the presidential candidate does not win an absolute majority?
A. Russia and Nigeria
B. Russia and Iran
C. Iran and Mexico
D. Nigeria and Mexico
Answer: In Iran and Russia, presidential candidates MUST win an absolute majority of the popular vote in either the 1st or 2nd round of voting. A runoff occurs if there is no winner in the 1st round.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.2: Objectives of Election Rules
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7. Which of the following is NOT an example of Mexico's transition away from a one-party dominant state?
A. Eliminating el dedazo, the process of the incumbent pointing to their successor
B. Establishing the National Electoral Institute
C. Banning the PRI Party from nominating candidates in the presidential elections
D. Privatizing state-owned corporations to decrease patronage
Answer: The PRI was not banned from Mexico's legislature and may still run candidates.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.3: Political Party Systems
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8. Which of these countries has had a dominant-party system since 2000?
A. Nigeria
B. The United Kingdom
C. Iran
D. Russia
Answer: Russia’s United Russia has been a dominant-party in the twenty-first century, as it has won successive elections by large margins and has regulated elections and political participation in order to maintain its position.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.3: Political Party Systems
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9. Which of the following accurately compares social movements?
A. Both Iran's Green Movement and Mexico's Zapatista movement primarily responded to socioeconomic inequality.
B. In Nigeria, MEND protested unjust methods of oil distribution, while Iran's Green Movement protests electoral corruption.
C. Mexico's Zapatista movement primarily advocated for fair elections, while Nigeria's MOSOP favored the establishment of an Islamist state.
D. Iran's Green Movement primarily favored separatism, while Nigeria's Boko Haram advocates for Shari'a law.
Answer: In Nigeria, MEND and MOSOP protested unjust methods of extraction and distribution of oil, while the Green Movement in Iran protested electoral corruption.
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10. Which of the following best describes pluralist systems?
A. They use single peak associations to represent the business sector
B. They support economic policies that are developed and run by the state.
C. They allow the state to maintain control over citizen input and participation.
D. They promote competition among autonomous groups not linked to the state
Answer: Pluralism is a system of interest group representation that promotes competition among autonomous groups not linked to the state.
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11. Which of the following states have transitioned from a corporatist to pluralist system?
A. Mexico
B. Iran
C. Russia
D. United Kingdom
Answer: Mexico has moved from a pluralist to corporatist system that allows more civil society groups and NGOs to function free from the state.
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12. Which of the following is a consequence of one-party rule in China?
A. CCP has made concessions to social movement demands.
B. Corporations have fought against regulations imposed by the CCP.
C. Minor parties have limited influence on policy making in China.
D. Minor parties have formed groups to challenge the CCP's dominance.
Answer: The CCP does allow for minor parties to fill minor political offices but limits their overall policy-making power.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.4: Role of Political Party Systems
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13. Which of the following best explains why the Chinese government allows some political protests?
A. To act as a release valve for the public
B. To open political discourse
C. To spread political information
D. To promote democratization among citizens
Answer: The CCP will approve protests for issues like environmentalism and pollution to give citizens an outlet for dissent.
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14. In which type of system does the government control policy making through state-sanctioned groups?
A. Pluralist systems
B. Corporatist systems
C. Democratic systems
D. Authoritarian systems
Answer: Corporatist systems rely on state-sanctioned groups to represent the public in sectors such as labor, business, and the agricultural. This allows them to control policy making and prevents a large civil society.
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15. For most of its history, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico has been
A. a religious party
B. an ethnic party
C. a dominant party
D. A left-wing party
Answer: The PRI dominated Mexico's political system until 2000 when Vicente Fox from the PAN party won the presidential election.
📄 Study AP Comp Gov, Unit 4.3: Political Party Systems
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