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A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. [1] All other parties are either outlawed or only enjoy limited and controlled participation in elections. Sometimes the term "de facto one-party state" is used to describe a dominant-party system that, unlike the one-party state, allows (at least nominally) democratic multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning power. [2]
Membership in the ruling party tends to be relatively small compared to the population. [3] With such a small winning coalition, leaders in one-party states usually lack the incentive to care about the well-being of citizens. [4] Rather, they give out private goods to fellow elites to ensure continued support. One-party, compared to dominant-party dictatorships, structure themselves unlike democracies. They also turn into democracies at a lower rate than dominant-party dictatorships. [5] While one-party states prohibit opposition parties, some allow for elections at the smallest local level. One-party states lack any legitimate competition. Therefore, they place elites and sympathetic candidates in key administrative races. [6] For example, the Chinese Communist Party exercises political control by infiltrating village administrations. [7] They view these positions as crucial for gathering information on the population and maintaining a presence in the far reaches of their borders. [8] One-party states recognize the trade-off between election victory and gathering valuable data. [9] To account for this, the regimes have been observed placing local nobility in easy-to-win races. [10] One-party states have also been observed using elections to ensure that only the most popular elites get chosen to office. [11] They also gather data from elections to indicate if a local official is performing poorly in the eyes of the residents. [11] This gives locals the opportunity to monitor local officials and communicate satisfaction with the local government. [11] Throughout the country, members of the one party hold key political positions. [5] In doing so, the party avoids committing outright fraud and rather sustains their power at the local level with strategic appointment of elites. [8] Data on one-party regimes can be difficult to gather given their lack of transparency. [6]
As of 2024 the following countries are legally constituted as one-party states:
Country | Head of party | Leader title | Party | Ideology | Date of establishment | Duration | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
China [12] | Xi Jinping | General Secretary | Chinese Communist Party | Socialism with Chinese characteristics | 1 October 1949 | 74 years, 212 days | |
Cuba [13] | Miguel Díaz-Canel | First Secretary | Communist Party of Cuba | Marxism–Leninism, Castroism, Guevarism, Left-wing nationalism | 16 April 1961 | 63 years, 14 days | |
Eritrea [14] | Isaias Afwerki | Chairperson | People's Front for Democracy and Justice | Eritrean nationalism, Statism | 24 May 1993 | 30 years, 342 days | |
Laos [15] | Thongloun Sisoulith | General Secretary | Lao People's Revolutionary Party | Kaysone Phomvihane Thought | 2 December 1975 | 48 years, 150 days | |
North Korea [16] | Kim Jong-un | General Secretary | Workers' Party of Korea | Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism | 9 September 1948 | 75 years, 234 days | |
Vietnam [17] | Nguyễn Phú Trọng | General Secretary | Communist Party of Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh Thought | 30 April 1975 | 49 years, 0 days |
A de facto one-party system is one that, while not officially linking a single political party to governmental power, utilizes some means of political manipulation to ensure only one party stays in power. [18] Many different countries have been claimed to be de facto one-party states, with differing levels of agreement between scholars, although most agree that the African continent is marked by this political system. [19] [20] [21] Below are just a few examples of governments that have been claimed to have single party rule due to political manipulation.
Country | Party | Date of establishment | Information |
---|---|---|---|
Angola [ citation needed ] | People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola | 11 November 1975 | The MPLA has ruled Angola since its declaration of independence from Portugal, starting as a de jure one-party state, then initiating a multiparty system in 1991. |
Cambodia [ citation needed ] | Cambodian People's Party | 7 January 1979 | The CPP has ruled since victory in Cambodian–Vietnamese War |
Republic of the Congo [ citation needed ] | Congolese Party of Labour | 31 December 1968 | The People's Republic of the Congo was a one-party state, until the establishment of a multiparty system in 1990 and the subsequent loss of the PCT, leading to a civil war in 1997, from which point the PCT has been the sole ruling party since. |
Equatorial Guinea [ citation needed ] | Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea | 11 October 1987 | Despite not having any constitutional relation between the government and the PDGE, there is a link between the 1982 constitution and Theodoro Obiang, leader of the PDGE, leading Equatorial Guinea since 1979, and having won every election by at least 92% approval, with all "opposition" parties adamantly supporting Obiang, and never holding more than 32% of seats in any house. |
Singapore [ citation needed ] | People's Action Party | 30 May 1959 | While it does not have much electoral controversy, the PAP is essentially linked to governance in Singapore. |
Mozambique [ citation needed ] | Liberation Front of Mozambique | 25 June 1975 | The FRELIMO has ruled Mozambique since its declaration of independence from Portugal, starting as a de jure one-party state, then initiating a multiparty system in 1994. |
Paraguay [ citation needed ] | Colorado Party (Paraguay) | 11 September 1887 | Since 1947, the Colorado party has been dominant in Paraguayan politics, ruling as the only legal party between 1947 and 1962, and has controlled the presidency since 1948 notwithstanding a brief interruption between 2008 and 2013. With almost 2 million members, it is the largest political party in the country. Despite the party's grip on power, the government still sustains the defining characteristics of a procedural democracy [22] |
Rwanda [ citation needed ] | Rwandan Patriotic Front | In power since 1994 | Although Rwanda is nominally democratic, elections are manipulated in various ways, which include banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and electoral fraud. [23] [24] |
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