Democratic Consolidation
This coming week we will be discussing the idea of democratic consolidation within Latin America. Our required reading looks at the specific case of Peru in the late 20th century, where its president Alberto Fujimori led the 1992 autogolpe. This self-coup, which Fujimori claimed was to restore economic balance and pacify the nation, shut down Congress and suspended the Constitution with the help of the military. More importantly, the success of Fujimori’s autogolpe resulted in the complete disintegration of Peru’s political party system. The article by Steven Levitsky and Maxwell A. Cameron examines three aspects of Peru: the decomposition of the political party system, the implications of the collapse, and the prospects of rebuilding parties in post-Fujimori Peru. I’m most interested in the advantages and disadvantages of political parties in respect to democratic success. For our entire lives, political parties have been the crux of our understanding and access of politics, but are they beneficial to democracy? (I used http://connectusfund.org/9-monumental-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-political-parties to help with ideas)
There’s a reason why political parties have been an integral part in the workings of American democracy as it offers several advantages. As Levitsky and Cameron discuss, parties make democracy “workable” for both the voters and politicians. Political parties are able disseminate political information to the general public in an easy-to-understand fashion. Often the complexity of political issues is difficult to grasp for the average busy voter, but political parties simplify the matters so voters can understand in a timely manner. Also, political parties balance differing political views, which is vital to representing not what’s best for the individual, but what’s best for the nation as a whole. Another important advantage of political parties is their ability to maintain stability within the government. Within the United States’ two-party system, unexpected political changes are prevented because the two parties are able to dissolve any major change. Lastly and most importantly, political parties encourage mass political participation. Political parties provide voters with a medium they can agree on political issues with in an understandable fashion.
Although political parties have existed through most of the United States’ history, there are several disadvantages to its persistence. Political parties often have selfish interests, which can hurt the nation as a whole. For example, a party may encourage the election of an incompetent politician because he’s one of their own, despite his inability to properly govern the people. Also, the inherent selfishness of political parties can lead to corruption, evident in false promises used for election. Finally, political parties can discourage political participation. As seen in the current United States presidential election, the two major political parties can present candidates that no one will vote for. Because one of the major political parties always wins the election, voters can decide to just not vote rather than seeking a capable candidate outside of the major two parties.
In conclusion, I believe political parties are advantageous to the success of democracy because they are vital in the political participation of all classes of people and they work to subside radical change.