Type of democratic government
Nonpartisan democracy
(also
no-party democracy
) is a system of
representative government
or organization such that universal and periodic
elections
take place without reference to
political parties
. Sometimes electioneering and even speaking about candidates may be discouraged, so as not to prejudice others' decisions or create a contentious atmosphere.
In many nations, the
head of state
is nonpartisan, even if the
prime minister
and
parliament
are chosen in partisan elections. Such heads of state are expected to remain neutral with regards to partisan politics. In a number of parliamentary or semi-presidential countries, some presidents are non-partisan, or receive cross-party support.
Nonpartisan systems may be
de jure
, meaning political parties are either outlawed entirely or legally prevented from participating in elections at certain levels of government, or
de facto
if no such laws exist and yet there are no political parties.
De facto
nonpartisan systems are mostly situated in states and regions with small populations, such as in
Micronesia
,
Tuvalu
, and
Palau
, where organizing political parties is seen as unnecessary or impractical.
De jure
nonpartisan systems exist in several
Persian Gulf
states, including
Oman
and
Kuwait
; the legislatures in these governments typically have advisory capacity only, as they may comment on laws proposed by the executive branch but are unable to create laws themselves. De jure nonpartisan national governments sometimes resemble
one-party states
, but governments of the latter type explicitly recognize a single political party of which all officials are required to be a member.
Unless there are legal
restrictions on political parties
, factions within nonpartisan governments may evolve into political parties. The United States initially did not have enfranchised political parties, but these evolved soon after independence.
Comparison with other political systems
[
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]
A nonpartisan system differs from a
one-party system
in that the governing
faction
in a one-party system identifies itself as a party, where membership might provide benefits not available to non-members. A single-party government often requires government officials to be members of the party, features a complex party
hierarchy
as a key institution of government, forces citizens to agree to a partisan ideology, and may enforce its control over the government by making all other parties illegal. Members of a nonpartisan government may represent many different ideologies. Various
communist
nations such as
China
or
Cuba
are single-party nations although the Members of Parliament are not elected as party candidates.
A direct democracy can be considered nonpartisan since citizens vote on laws themselves rather than electing representatives. Direct democracy can be partisan, however, if factions are given rights or prerogatives that non-members do not have.
Structures
[
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]
Elections
[
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]
In nonpartisan elections, each candidate for office is eligible based on his or her own merits rather than as a member of a political party. No political affiliation (if one exists) is shown on the ballot next to a candidate. Generally, the winner is chosen from a runoff election where the candidates are the top two vote-getters from a primary election. In some elections the candidates might be members of a national party but do not run as party members for local office.
Nonpartisan democracies may possess indirect elections whereby an electorate are chosen who in turn vote for the representative(s). (This is sometimes known as a 2-tier election, such as an
electoral college
.) The system can work with a
first past the post
electoral system but is incompatible with (partisan)
proportional representation
systems other than
single transferable vote
or reweighted cardinal voting systems, or semi proportional systems such as cumulative voting and single non transferable vote.
[
clarification needed
]
Nonpartisan elections are generally held for
municipal
and county offices, especially
school boards
, and are also common in the election of judges. In some nonpartisan elections it is common knowledge which candidates are members of and backed by which parties; in others, parties are almost wholly uninvolved and voters make choices with little or no regard to partisan considerations.
While nonpartisan democracies can allow for a wide selection of candidates (especially within a no-nomination system whereby voters can choose any non-restricted person in their area), such systems are not incompatible with indirect elections (such as for large geographical areas), whereby delegates may be chosen who in turn elect the representatives.
Appointments
[
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Even if a government's executive officer or legislature is partisan, appointments of cabinet members, judges, or directors of government agencies, may be nonpartisan. The intent of appointing government officials in a nonpartisan manner is to insure the officers can perform their duties free from partisan politics, and are chosen in a fair manner that does not adversely affect a political party. Twelve US states use the
Missouri Plan
, and two use a variation of it, to choose judges in a nonpartisan manner. Several countries with partisan parliaments use nonpartisan appointments to choose presidents.
Legislatures
[
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]
In nonpartisan legislatures, there are no typically formal party alignments within the legislature; even if there are caucuses for specific issues. Alliances and causes with a nonpartisan body are often temporary and fluid since legislators who oppose each other on some issues may agree on other issues. Despite being nonpartisan, legislators typically have consistent and identifiable voting patterns. Decisions to investigate and enforce ethics violations by government officials are generally done on the basis of evidence instead of party affiliation. Committee chairs and other leaders within the legislature are often chosen for seniority and expertise, unlike the leaders in a partisan legislature who are often chosen because of loyalty to a party.
Historical examples
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Democracy in ancient Athens
was nonpartisan, as eligible citizens voted on laws themselves rather than electing representatives.
Elections to offices in the
Roman Republic
were all nonpartisan, though the informal factions of the
Populares
and
Optimates
did emerge within the
Roman Senate
.
Historians have frequently interpreted
Federalist No. 10
to imply that the
Founding Fathers
of the
United States
intended the government to be nonpartisan.
James Madison
defined a faction as "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." As political parties had interests which were adverse to the rights of citizens and to the general welfare of the nation, several Founding Fathers preferred a nonpartisan form of government.
The administration of
George Washington
and the first few sessions of the
US Congress
were nonpartisan. Factions within the early US government coalesced into the
Federalist
and
Democratic-Republican
parties. The
Era of Good Feelings
, when the Federalist party collapsed (leaving the Democratic-Republican party as the sole political faction) was the United States' only experience with a one-party system.
The
Confederate States of America
had no political parties during its entire existence from 1861 to 1865. Despite political differences within the Confederacy, no national political parties were formed because they were seen as illegitimate. "Anti-partyism became an article of political faith."
[1]
Without a two-party system building alternative sets of national leaders, electoral protests tended to be narrowly state-based, "negative, carping and petty". The 1863 mid-term elections became mere expressions of futile and frustrated dissatisfaction. According to historian David M. Potter, this lack of a functioning two-party system caused "real and direct damage" to the Confederate war effort, since it prevented the formulation of any effective alternatives to the conduct of the war by the
Davis
administration.
[2]
Legislative elections in the Confederacy were decided without political parties. Key candidate identification related to adopting secession before or after
Lincoln
's call for volunteers to retake Federal property. Previous party affiliation played a part in voter selection, predominantly secessionist
Democrat
or unionist
Whig
.
[3]
There were no organized political parties, but elective offices were exempted from military duty. Virtually every position was contested with as many as twenty candidates for each office.
[4]
The absence of political parties made individual roll call voting all the more important, as the Confederate "freedom of roll-call voting [was] unprecedented in American legislative history.
[5]
The
Republic of Texas
was a nonpartisan democracy before it was annexed by the United States; all four
presidents of the Republic of Texas
, and the members of the Texian Congress, were officially non-partisan.
[6]
From 1853 to 1890, within the
Self-governing colony
of
New Zealand
, Members of Parliament were not organised into any formal political parties. Prime Ministers made individual agreements with Members of Parliament in order to form and maintain government, lest MP's '
cross the floor
' and joined the opposition.
[7]
The
Non-Partisan League
was an influential
socialist
political movement during the
1910s
and
1920s
in the United States, especially in the Upper Midwest, which also eventually bled over into the
prairie provinces
of Canada.
The League contributed much to the ideology of the former
Progressive Party of Canada
. It went into decline and merged with the
Democratic Party
of
North Dakota
in 1956. The
Progressive Party of Canada
and the
United Farmers
movement (which formed governments in the provinces of
Alberta
,
Manitoba
and
Ontario
) also acted on a similar philosophy. In the case of the
United Farmers of Ontario
, while in power (1919?1923), the administration of
Ernest Drury
suffered much infighting as the result of conflicting views.
Because of their nonpartisan ideology, the Progressive Party of Canada refused to take the position of the
official opposition
after the
election of 1921
when they came in second place. Four years later, they lost that position and their rural supporters began to move to the Liberal Party and CCF. Eventually the Progressive Party of Canada and the United Farmers movement faded into obscurity, with most of their members joining the
Liberal Party of Canada
and the
democratic socialist
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF, or present day
New Democratic Party
).
Modern examples
[
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]
National governments
[
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]
Very few national governments are completely nonpartisan, but nonpartisan political systems at the national level are not unheard of, especially in states with small populations. Many national governments have nonpartisan offices even if their legislative branches are partisan.
Constitutional monarchies
have nonpartisan monarchs as their head of state.
Parliamentary republics
generally have nonpartisan, figurehead presidents.
Pacific Islands nations
[
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]
Nonpartisan governments are much more likely in countries with small populations.
Nauru
, for example, has no political parties; its
Parliament
consists entirely of independent members of parliament or MPs, who form governing coalitions and opposition blocs through alliances of individuals.
[8]
In
Niue
, political parties have never played an important role. There is, at present, no political party, and candidates to elections therefore run as independents. The only party ever to have existed, the
Niue People's Party
, disbanded in 2003.
In
Tuvalu
, where no political parties exist, "MPs have very close links with their island constituencies and effort is directed towards balancing island representation in
Cabinet
".
Other nonpartisan island nations are the
Pitcairn Islands
,
Micronesia
, and
Palau
. These nations have small, highly dispersed populations.
Some states are
de facto
nonpartisan because while no law forbids the formation of political parties, the populations are small enough that they are considered impractical. Political allegiances depend mainly on family and island-related factors.
Muslim-majority countries
[
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]
In
Indonesia
, all members of the
Regional Representative Council
, the upper house of the nation's bicameral legislature, are barred to come from any elements of political parties.
The
United Arab Emirates
is a
de jure
nonpartisan authoritarian state since all political parties were outlawed. The
Federal National Council
(al-Majlis al-Watani al-Ittihadi) is the UAE's parliamentary body and consists of 40 members, representing the Emirates, half appointed by the rulers of the constituent states and the other half elected to serve two-year terms, with only advisory tasks.
Political parties are also formally illegal in the Gulf state of
Kuwait
, as they have not been legalized since independence in 1961. Nonetheless, the constitution itself does not explicitly prohibit parties. Candidates for election to the
National Assembly of Kuwait
stand in a personal capacity. Nevertheless, several politically-focused organizations such as the
National Democratic Alliance
exist and function as
de facto
political parties.
Libya
's
unicameral
legislature, the
General National Congress
reserved 120 out of its 200 seats for independent politicians in multiple-member districts.
[9]
[10]
The other 80 were elected through a party list system of proportional representation.
Oman
does not allow political parties, and only holds elections with expanding suffrage for a consultative assembly. Though Oman is developing into a
constitutional monarchy
, political parties are presently forbidden in Oman. The previously influential opposition movement, the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman
, is dormant today.
In
Saudi Arabia
, there are neither national elections or legal political parties. Despite this, some
opposition movements
exist, with varying degrees of presence in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Other nations
[
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]
The
Vatican
State is a nonpartisan
theocracy
, though it does not have a native population and in essence exists as a sort of extraterritorial headquarters for the
Catholic Church
.
A nonpartisan democracy might take root in other
sovereign
nations
, such as occurred in
Uganda
in 1986, whereby political parties were restricted by a constitutional referendum endorsed by the people of the country (this system did not have all of the features described above). During a subsequent
referendum
in 2005, over 92% of Ugandan citizens voted for the return of a multiple party system.
Until the mid-20th century, a Canadian politician's political affiliation was not shown on
ballots
at any level of government. The expectation was that citizens would vote according to the merit of the candidate, but in practice, party allegiance played an important role. Beginning in 1974, the name of the candidate's political party was shown on the ballot. In elections for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, political affiliation was not shown on ballots until 2004. For elections for the eighteen districts in the dependency, political affiliation was not shown until 2007.
[11]
State or provincial governments
[
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]
There are several examples of nonpartisan
state
or
provincial
governments. The nonpartisan system is also used in many US states for the election of judges, district attorneys and other officials. Twelve US states use the
Missouri Plan
, and two use a variation of it, to choose judges in a nonpartisan manner.
The state of
Nebraska
in the
United States
has nonpartisan elections for its
legislature
because candidates are neither endorsed nor supported by political parties. However, its
executive branch
is elected on a partisan basis. It is the only state in the United States with a nonpartisan legislature.
Louisiana uses a
nonpartisan blanket primary
, also called a "jungle primary", for state and local offices. In this system, all candidates run against each other regardless of party affiliation during the primary, and then the two most popular candidates run against each other even if they are members of the same party. This form of runoff election weakens political parties and transforms a partisan election into a partly nonpartisan election.
The
Swiss Cantons
of
Glarus
and
Appenzell Innerrhoden
are also nonpartisan, direct democracies; while they have a partisan parliament, all laws have to be passed by "
Landsgemeinde
", an assembly of all citizens eligible to vote.
Governors of Japanese prefectures
are required by law not to be members of any political party.
[
citation needed
]
Territorial governments
[
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]
The territorial government of
American Samoa
is completely nonpartisan. It has 21 nonpartisan members elected by consensus to its
Territorial House
and 18 nonpartisan members elected to the
Territorial Senate
. The
Governor
and
Lieutenant Governor
are both nonpartisan offices. However, the
Governor
,
Lieutenant Governor
, and its nonvoting member of the
U.S. House
are Democrats.
The British territory of
Falkland Islands
has a completely nonpartisan government in that no political parties operate on the islands. All eight members of the
Legislative Assembly
are nonpartisan, as is the
Chief Executive
and the
Governor
.
Guernsey
has a nonpartisan legislature. The States of Guernsey, officially called the
States of Deliberation
, consists of 45 People's Deputies, elected from multi- or single-member districts every four years.
Political parties played no official role in the
Isle of Man
before the 2006 elections and played a minor role in the 2006 elections. At the 2001 election for the
House of Keys
, the
Manx Labour Party
polled 17.3% of the vote and only 2 seats. The vast majority of seats at every election are won by independent candidates with no allegiance to any parties. However, several parties such as the
Manx Labour Party
and
Liberal Vannin
operate and hold a small number of elected officers.
Saint Helena
, along with both
Ascension Island
and
Tristan da Cunha
, does not have any active political parties, but no law forbids the formation of political parties; hence, the territory is a de facto non-partisan democracy. The
Saint Helena Labour Party
and
Saint Helena Progressive Party
existed until 1976.
The head of the territory and head of government of
Hong Kong
, the
Chief Executive
, is required by law not to be member of any political party. There are
numerous political parties
, but there is no legislation for political parties. Civil society organizations and trade unions also nominate candidates for election in Hong Kong under the system of
functional constituencies
.
The
Canadian
territories
of the
Northwest Territories
[12]
and
Nunavut
[13]
have nonpartisan legislatures. The populace votes for individuals to represent it in the territorial assembly without reference to political parties. After the election, the assembly selects one of its number to form a government and act as
premier
. This system is in deference to the system of
consensus government
that predominates among the indigenous
Inuit
and other peoples of northern Canada.
Municipal governments
[
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]
Canada
[
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]
Unique among democratic nations with partisan elections at the federal level, almost all Canadian cities and counties (and similar levels of supralocal government) have governments elected on a nonpartisan basis. The municipal government of the City of
Toronto
,
Ontario
(
Canada
) is the fifth largest government in the country,
[
clarification needed
]
governing a population of more than 2.7 million. It consists of a nonpartisan, directly elected council. The public may have a general idea of the candidates' political affiliations, but their parties have no official recognition or privilege in the functioning of City Council.
Councilors
are free to vote on each motion individually, not bound by
party discipline
.
Switzerland
[
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]
Many municipalities in Switzerland also have a nonpartisan legislative assembly consisting of all citizens eligible to vote.
Scardale, New York
[
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]
The Village of
Scarsdale, New York
selects its Board of Trustees using a nonpartisan system that dates back to 1911. Candidates for office are privately interviewed by a diversely composed committee and then nominated for office. New York State law mandates that these nominees must be democratically elected, however, nominated candidates are rarely contested in the general election. The coordinating Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party motto is "Performance, Not Politics"
[14]
Philippines
[
edit
]
In the
Philippines
,
barangay elections
(elections for positions in the
barangay
or village) are nonpartisan. The certificates of candidacies, which the candidates sign under oath, say that they are not a member of any political party.
[15]
The nonpartisanism of barangay elections have been challenged lately, though, as some candidates are members of political parties.
[16]
Barangay Captains
and
Sangguniang Kabataan
(SK, youth councils) chairmen in a municipality or city elect among themselves their representative to the local legislature. In deadlocked or hung legislatures, votes from the nominally nonpartisan representatives of barangay captains and SK chairmen hold the
balance of power
.
Religious perspectives
[
edit
]
The
Baha?i Faith
states that the partisan apparatus is not a necessary or beneficial aspect of democracy.
[17]
Discrimination of non-partisan candidates in partisan democracies
[
edit
]
In
French parliament
non-partisans are known as "non-inscrits" (unrecorded ones), and in some parliamentary talks they are given less time to speak.
[
citation needed
]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Cooper (2000) p. 462. Rable (1994) pp. 2?3. Rable wrote, "But despite heated arguments and no little friction between the competing political cultures of unity and liberty, antiparty and broader fears about politics in general shaped civic life. These beliefs could obviously not eliminate partisanship or prevent Confederates from holding on to and exploiting old political prejudices. Indeed, some states, notably Georgia and North Carolina, remained political tinderboxes throughout the war. Even the most bitter foes of the Confederate government, however, refused to form an opposition party, and the Georgia dissidents, to cite the most prominent example, avoided many traditional political activities. Only in North Carolina did there develop anything resembling a party system, and there the central values of the Confederacy's two political cultures had a far more powerful influence on political debate than did organizational maneuvering."
- ^
David Herbert Donald, ed.
Why the North Won the Civil War.
(1996) p.112?113. Potter wrote in his contribution to this book, "Where parties do not exist, criticism of the administration is likely to remain purely an individual matter; therefore the tone of the criticism is likely to be negative, carping, and petty, as it certainly was in the Confederacy. But where there are parties, the opposition group is strongly impelled to formulate real alternative policies and to press for the adoption of these policies on a constructive basis. ... But the absence of a two-party system meant the absence of any available alternative leadership, and the protest votes which were cast in the
1863 Confederate mid-term
election became more expressions of futile and frustrated dissatisfaction rather than implements of a decision to adopt new and different policies for the Confederacy."
- ^
Martis,
Historical Atlas,
pp.72?73
- ^
Coulter, "The Confederate States of America" p. 317-318. Some scholars such as Martis interpret this as robust democratic society in wartime. Coulter attributes the widely newfound enthusiasm for political careers as a means to "get out of the army or keep from getting into it".
- ^
Martis,
Historical Atlas,
pp.3
- ^
Erath, Lucy A. (October 1923). Barker, Eugene C.; Bolton, Herbert E. (eds.).
"Memoirs of George Bernard Erath IV"
.
The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
.
27
(2).
Texas State Historical Association
: 140
. Retrieved
March 21,
2015
.
- ^
"The history of New Zealand's party system - New Zealand Parliament"
. 20 June 2023.
- ^
"Republic of Nauru country brief"
Archived
2014-10-06 at the
Wayback Machine
, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- ^
"Libya elections: Do any of the parties have a plan?"
. BBC News. 6 July 2012
. Retrieved
6 September
2012
.
- ^
Margaret Coker (22 June 2012).
"Libya Election Panel Battles Ghosts"
.
The Wall Street Journal
.
- ^
"Printing of Names, Emblems, and Photographs on Ballot Papers for the District Council Elections"
(PDF)
.
Legislative Council Panel on Constitutional Affairs
.
- ^
Hill, Tony L. (12 December 2002).
Canadian Politics, Riding by Riding: An In-Depth Analysis of Canada's 301 Federal Electoral Districts
. Prospect Park Press. p. 448.
ISBN
978-0972343602
. Retrieved
30 January
2014
.
- ^
"Premier of Nunavut - Hon. Paul Okalik"
. Retrieved
6 October
2009
.
- ^
"Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party"
.
www.scarsdalecitizens.org
. Retrieved
2017-01-19
.
- ^
Gomez, Carla P. (12 April 2018).
"Barangay bets warned: Be truthful in declaring party affiliation or face consequences"
.
INQUIRER.net
.
Archived
from the original on 3 August 2020
. Retrieved
9 August
2020
.
- ^
Nalzaro, Bobby (8 April 2018).
"Barangay and SK elections are partisan"
.
Sunstar
.
Archived
from the original on 27 February 2021
. Retrieved
9 August
2020
.
- ^
"The Prosperity of Humankind"
.
Baha?i International Community
. March 9, 2012.
References
[
edit
]
- Ware, Alan.
Citizens, Parties and the State.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987.
External links
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]