Political party

- a formally constituted political group of people organized to acquire and exercise

political power
- they come together to contest (engage in a competition to attain a position of power)
elections to form or take part in a government
- every political party has an ideological core, i.e. they agree on some policies and
programmes for the society to promote the collective good
In democracies, political pluralism permits the existence of many political parties
and organisations (limited by law) which represent different interests, convictions
and lifestyles in society.
Starting in the second half of the 20th century modern democracies a variety of
regulations for the transparency of fundraising and expenditure (výdavky), limit or
ban specific kinds of activity and provide public subsidies for party activity,
including campaigning.

Types
- according to the membership we can distinguish:

a) cadre /ˈkɑːdr(ə)/ parties are dominated by political elites that are concerned with
contesting elections and restrict the influence of outsiders, who were only required to assist
in election campaigns

E.g. in the United States both major parties were cadre parties.

b) mass parties attempt to base itself on an appeal to the masses (na žiadosť ľudu);
organise not only those who are influential or well known or those who represent special
interest groups but rather any citizen who is willing to join the party and are a source of
party income and are often expected to spread party ideology as well as assist in elections
E.g. socialist parties.

Right-wing and left-wing politics (the left-right political spectrum)

- a system of classifying political positions, ideologies and parties (the intermediate stance is
called centrism and a person with such a position is a moderate)
The political terms right-wing (the Right, rightist) and left-wing (the Left, leftist)
originates from the French Revolution (1789), when deputies from the Third Estate
generally sat to the left of the King's chair, and the nobility generally sat to the right.

a) Right-wing beliefs:
- rightists value private ownership and economic freedom
- in economy they pursue a weak state (business should not be regulated), lower
taxes, free market, privatisation
 - in social issues, they tend to believe in personal freedom; social inequality is
inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, because it motivates people to succeed
by their own

A conservative part emphasises traditions, religion, national identity,

higher military budget, and protection of traditional family. To protect these
values they are willing to restrict human rights in a way.

On the other hand, liberals deny nationalism, pursue the separation of church
and state, and fight for human rights for every man (legalised abortion,
euthanasia, registered partnership or marriage for homosexuals).
Those who admit some social measures are called centre-right.

There is general consensus that the Right includes: conservatives, Christian

democrats, traditionalists, capitalists, liberals, monarchists, theocrats,
nationalists and, on the far Right, racists and fascists.

b) Left wing beliefs:

- leftists aim to support those who cannot support themselves, and believe in
equality
- in economy they believe that we should tax rich people more to support people
less well off, and they believe we should regulate big businesses so they serve
people’s interests; the support state ownership and the welfare state which means
people are healthier, more able to work, and will put more back into the economy
- leftists are anti-clerical (they support secularization and the separation of church
and state), international, and anti-nationalist
- in social matters they support trade unions and workers´ rights and believe in
making laws that protect women, ethnic minorities, and gay people against
discrimination, sometimes they support public interests at the expense of
individual rights
- they are also focused environmentally
The extreme Left restrict human rights for a public interest, they support
nationalisation of ownership and central planning of economy.
Those who recognise the established capitalist system but believe in improving
social justice are designated as centre-left.

There is general agreement that the Left includes: social democrats, socialists,
greens, feminists, anti-imperialists and, on the far Left, communists, anarchists,
anti-capitalists, eco-terrorists, often separatists and autonomists.

Klaus von Beyme categorized European parties into nine families from left
to right: communist, socialist, green, liberal, Christian democratic, conservative
and libertarian.
The position of two other types, agrarian and regional/ethnic parties varied.
a) Social democracy
- the party´s main goal is to establish the welfare state, social justice within the framework of
capitalist economy, and better redistribution of public wealth (those who are in need, elderly,
poorer single mothers, orphans, or disadvantaged should be supported by the state),

- they suggest a progressive income tax, so those who earn more should be taxed more,

- the party advocate free healthcare, education, funded public transport, social work, or
wider state benefits,

- they support workers´ and employees´ rights and needs; nevertheless, they support also
small and middle businesses,

- economy should be regulated (the protection of employees and small entrepreneurs, a

higher minimal wage, regulated prices of electricity or gas, or the protection of environment),

- they support private property as one of the most important human rights, but important
economic fields (electricity plants, gas plants, water works) should be owned by the state,

- unemployment should be solved through state-funding constructions (highways, electricity

plants) or state-owned businesses,

- they also fight for the protection and rights of sexual minorities, women, ethnic
minorities, or refugees,

- the environment protection is also their point of interest,

- individual human rights and otherness are the fundamental key to social equality, so they go
even beyond the generally accepted topics - gay marriages, the adoption of children by gay
pairs, the decriminalisation of light drugs, or free abortion,

- they support representative democracy and the state governed by the rule of law,

- they claim that a state must be anchored in western civilisation; the European Union
guarantees rights, freedoms in every sense, and a high living standard; NATO guarantees our
security (autocratic regimes are not able to secure a satisfactory living standard and social
equality (only for a narrow group); they widely curtail liberties, and do not allow people to
select their representatives; therefore, they are unacceptable).

b) Conservativism (conservatism)
- the party combine free market economy, privatisation, and no price regulations,

- taxes are recommended to be as low as possible in order to revive and support

business,

- they demand to stop wasting public money to lower the state debt,
- unemployment can be cut by free business without high taxes and with little red-tape
(bureaucracy),

- in social issues, they do not like quick changes and lean on traditional time-proven
institutions,

- they oppose gay marriage, abortion and embryonic stem cell research,

- the traditional family (a man, a woman and children) and elderly must be supported by
the state (also financially),

- christian religion and traditional morality as well as social hierarchy (respect for
parents, elderly...) are pillars of society,

- they support representative democracy and the state governed by the rule of law,

- in their opinion, a European state must be toughly anchored in the western civilisation,
which means the European Union and NATO (however, they refuse a US-like super state; the
EU should be an organisation with sovereign states, especially in tax and ethical policy; a
state must improve its security, therefore, investment in army is inevitable).

c) Liberalism
- in economic issues, the party emphasises free market economy with minimal state
interventions (price regulations, various useless controls, minimal wage...), so business
should work on its own and the state fulfils only the function of security, justice,
fundamental orders and basic services (healthcare, education...),

- taxes must be low so that money is kept in the hands of businessmen and employees; if
so, consumers will buy more, which will raise employment and the willingness to employ
workers,

- as for state benefits, only those who obviously need the help will get it (the poor, the
elderly, the disabled), and the state should motivate people to work and do business (state
bureaucracy will be simplier, more effective, and aimed at citizens),

- as far as social issues are concerned, the party is based on the idea of individual liberties
and equality; the fundamental rights of individuals, such as freedom of speech, thinking,
religion, property rights, the freedom of the press, or gender equality, must be guaranteed
and they are above the state´s interests,

- the party will pass laws ensuring and facilitating the same-sex marriages, light drug
freedom, divorce, simpler abortion, and euthanasia, however, the individual must bear
full responsibility for his/her acts,

- the party pursues the full separation of church and state, and consequently a secular state;
the church must not influence the state, laws, and the atheistic individuals or the individuals of
other faiths (religion is a private matter of people; they will cancel Religion as a compulsory
subject at schools, moreover, the state will stop paying registered churches),
- parliamentary democracy is considered the only system that can secure free economy,
human rights and liberties,

- the party rejects the orientation towards the East, where individuals´ interests play little
role in state affairs, therefore, the only way for a European state is the West - that is the
European Union (as the guarantor of economic prosperity and human rights) and NATO (as
the guarantor of security and independence).

d) Extreme right (Kotleba´s party People's Party – Our Slovakia)

- in economic issues, the party is based on national-socialist pillars: the private property and
business are retained, however, with a great deal of state interventions,

- the party promise free education, healthcare, free public transport, high pension for all

who work or worked and “parasites” /ˈparəsʌɪts/ (those who live only off the social
system) will be excluded from the benefits,

- young families will be supported more,

- the party will severely take actions against gypsy terror coming from Roma settlements;
they will establish the home-defence, and every person will be allowed to bear a gun in order
to protect himself and his family,

- the party want to secure traditional morality and the pride in the Slovak nation;
Christian morals have formed our nation for centuries; therefore a marriage will be deeply
protected,

- they refuse the same-sex marriages and life in partnership,

- children will be protected from degenerating media and the Internet – the party will
introduce rules and control of the programme in private TV´s and the Internet,

- the Slovak culture will be preferred, i.e. children will be led to Slovak patriotism and
pride in Slovak history, every school day will start and finish with the Slovak anthem,

- the Catholic Church must be preferred to other churches,

- full rights and liberties – to vote, to set up political parties, or to publish – will be
guaranteed only to the persons of the Slovak nationality; this will be done with a state
control in order to prevent them from anti-Slovak activities,

- the parliamentary democracy is considered a corrupted system with no future;

therefore it must be replaced by a one-leader system,

- the Slovak Republic will withdraw from the EU, because they want to put an end to the
Brussels dictatorship and to give sovereignty back to the Slovak people; Slovakia will
withdraw from the criminal organisation NATO, build up its own army and be utterly
neutral.
e) Communism (extreme left)
- the party pursue the expropriation (the action by the state or an authority of taking property
from its owner for public use or benefit = vyvlastnenie) of bigger companies, banks and
strategic plants in order to return property to the people,
- every company owned by foreigners will be taken and given to the people (it means to the
state) in order to get rid of the foreign economic occupation,
- smaller businesses and land can retain in private ownership,

- those with higher salary will be taxed more to ensure social solidarity and to support
poor class and pensioners,

- the party will punish those who privatised the state´s property and have lived at the expense
of people,

- hey will renew agricultural production (by funds and taking soil from private hands) to
ensure food self-sufficiency,

- everyone will have access to free healthcare, education, public transport, or

accommodation, which will be in the state´s hands,

- the state will ensure work for everyone; those who do not work will be persecuted,

- the culture and traditions of the people are necessary to be developed, the corrupted and
degenerative western culture will be reduced,

- the gender and homosexual ideology will be re-evaluated,

- the state will cancel private media, because they do not inform the people correctly,

- they refuse the European Union, the euro zone and NATO as criminal organisations;
also the relationship with the USA will be re-evaluated and the pro-Russian orientation will
be renewed.

Party systems
- many countries have numerous powerful political parties, such as Germany and India and
some nations have one-party systems, such as China, the United States is a two-party system,
with its two most powerful parties being the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

a) One-party systems
- one political party is legally allowed to hold effective power (although minor parties may
sometimes be allowed, they are legally required to accept the leadership of the dominant
party)
- the one-party system is usually equated with dictatorships and tyranny
 E.g. North Korea and China, Nazi Germany between 1934 and 1945.
b) Two-party systems (Jamaica, Malta, Ghana and the United States)
- two political parties dominant to such an extent that electoral success of any other
party is almost impossible
E.g. the United States with its two most powerful parties - the Democratic Party
(liberals) and the Republican Party (conservatives).
The UK political system, while technically a multi-party system, has
functioned generally as a two-party (sometimes called a "two-and-a-half
party") system. Since the 1920s the two largest political parties have been
the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Before the Labour Party rose in
British politics the Liberal Party was the other major political party along with
the Conservatives.

c) Multi-party systems
- more than two parties are represented and elected to public office
E.g. in Australia, Canada, Pakistan, India, Ireland, United Kingdom and Norway the
smaller or "third" parties may hold the balance of power in a parliamentary system,
and thus may be invited to form a part of a coalition government together with one of
the larger parties; or may instead act independently from the dominant parties.
- more commonly, in cases where no one party is likely to gain power alone, parties work
with each other to form coalition governments, e.g. Germany, the Slovak Republic
Political change is often easier with a coalition government than in one-party or two-
party dominant systems. Still coalition governments struggle, sometimes for years, to
change policy and often fail.

Structure
- a party leader - the most powerful member and spokesperson representing the party;
a party secretary - maintains the daily work and records of party meetings; party
treasurer - responsible for membership dues; party chair - forms strategies for recruiting
and retaining party members, and also chairs party meetings (held on a regular, periodic basis
to elect party officers and in order to affirm party policy and programme)
Most of the above positions are also members of the party executive which sets policy
for the entire party at the national level.

Funding
- political parties are funded /fʌndid/ by contributions from:
 party members (membership dues) and other individuals (donations),
 organizations, which share their political ideas (e.g. trade union affiliation fees) or which
could benefit from their activities (e.g. corporate donations)
 governmental or public funding
 foreign aid: international donors provide financing to political parties in developing
countries as a means to promote democracy
Political parties are lobbied vigorously by organizations, businesses and special interest
groups such as trade unions.

Colours and emblems

- political parties associate themselves with colours, primarily for identification, especially for
voter recognition during elections (conservative parties generally use blue or black)
- pink sometimes signifies moderate socialists
- yellow is often used for libertarianism or classical liberalism
- red often signifiessocial democratic, socialist or communist parties[
- green is the color for green parties, Islamist parties, Nordic agrarian parties and Irish
republican parties
- orange is a color of nationalism, such as in the Netherlands, also a color of reform such
as in Ukraine
- purple was considered the color of royalty, but today it is sometimes used for feminist
parties
- white is associated with nationalism
- black is generally associated with fascist parties, going back to Benito Mussolini's
blackshirts, but also with Anarchism
- brown is sometimes associated with Nazism

International organizations
- during the 19th and 20th century, many national political parties organized themselves into
international organizations along similar policy lines

E.g The Universal Party, International Workingmen's Association (also called the First

International), the International Democrat Union (blue), the International Communist
Party, the Global Greens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Slovakia