Government > Political parties and leaders > Note: Countries Compared
DEFINITION:
This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations and their leaders.
| COUNTRY | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Algeria | a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997 |
| Angola | about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections but only won a few seats; they and the other 115 smaller parties have little influence in the National Assembly |
| Azerbaijan | opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties |
| Benin | approximately 20 additional minor parties |
| Botswana | a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE] |
| Brunei | People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] was deregistered in 2007; parties are small and have limited activity |
| Burundi | a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA] |
| Colombia | Colombia has 15 formally recognized political parties, and numerous unofficial parties that did not meet the vote threshold in the March 2006 legislative elections required for recognition |
| Egypt | formation of political parties must be approved by the government |
| Guinea | Listed are the three most popular parties in first round voting for president in 2010; overall, there are more than 130 registered parties |
| Hong Kong | political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party |
| Iraq | the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Tawafuq Coalition, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and Unified Iraqi Alliance were only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from the various Iraqi political parties |
| Jersey | all senators and deputies elected in 2005 were independents |
| Kiribati | there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures |
| Macau | there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies |
| Mongolia | DP and M-MNSDP formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in 2003 and with CWRP contested June 2004 elections as single party; MDC's leadership dissolved coalition in December 2004 |
| Netherlands Antilles | political parties are indigenous to each island |
| Pakistan | political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently |
| Paraguay | Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS on leave as party leader of the Colorado Party or ANR while serving as President of Paraguay; Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva, leader of UNACE, is currently serving a ten-year prison term |
| Singapore | SDA includes National Solidarity Party or NSP, Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP |
| Solomon Islands | in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions |
| Suriname | BVD and PVF participated in the elections as a coalition (BVD/PVF) in the most recent elections, but separated after the election |
| Tajikistan | for the DPT, the Ministry of Justice named a new chairman, Masud SOBIROV, in 2006; Mr. ISKANDAROV's supporters do not recognize Mr. SOBIROV; for the SPT, the Ministry of Justice named a new chairman, Abduhalim GHAFAROV, in 2004; Mr. NARZIEV's supporters do not recognize Mr. GHAFAROV |
| Turkey | the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004 |
| Turkmenistan | formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based in Moscow |
| Uganda | a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system |
