Political Parties in a Competitive Democratic Process: Constants and Changes

Abstract

The authors emphasize the importance of a competitive democratic process, in which political parties participate, and which determines the "winners" and "losers", the degree of participation of parties in the system of government and political decision-making. In addition, the tendency of constant transformation and adaptation of parties to the challenges of the times, changes in the configuration of party actors (increasing the influence of populists, left-wing and nationalist parties) is also obvious. The object of the research is political parties in national parties that are influenced by domestic and foreign political factors. The subject of the research is changes in the content and orientation of the activities of political parties, transformational shifts in the party systems of national states. The election campaigns of various levels (presidential, parliamentary, regional, local) in a number of countries in the world in 2020 clearly confirmed two main trends in relation to the institution of political parties. Moreover, these trends in many respects contradict each other. On the one hand, this competitive electoral, as well as the political process in general, is impossible without political parties. On the other hand, in various societies with different historical, cultural and civilizational traditions, there are still serious claims to this institution of the political system, a request for renewal of elements of national parties.