Political Parties in Developing and Developed Countries.

 

I would first like to thank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the China Reform Forum for giving me an opportunity to address such a distinguished gathering about the role of political parties in democratic systems.

I have been asked to speak today about the decline of political parties in both developed and developing democracies. At the outset, I would like to say that I approach this topic from a number of different perspectives as president of an organization working to strengthen political parties and political institutions worldwide, and also as a close observer of the domestic political situation in the United States. I am aware of the glaring deficiencies in the way many political parties, both at home and abroad, have operated and their newfound efforts to better represent the views of ordinary citizens and respond to their concerns, hopes and aspirations.

While it is widely recognized that political parties are facing a deepening crisis worldwide, parties continue to play an irreplaceable role in democratic systems.