Introduction to Political Parties

Political parties are essential groups that play active roles in most political systems. By exploring the Web sites run by political parties, you can find out a great deal about that party's policies as well as about the politics of the particular country.

You can find much more detailed collection of Canadian links at the Canadian Political Parties page of Nelson's Canadian Politics on the Web. Links to most provincial political parties are included there as well.

POLITICAL PARTIES AROUND THE WORLD 

Australia 
Australia First Party
Australian Democrats
Australian Labor Party
Liberal Party of Australia
National Party
One Nation

Canada
Bloc Quebecois
Conservative Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
New Democratic Party of Canada

China
Communist Party of China (unofficial) 

The European Parliament has some parties and political groupings of its own: 
European Liberal-Democrats & Reformist Party
European Peoples Party
The Greens in the European Parliament
Party of European Socialists

France (en français)
Front National - right-wing French nationalist party
Parti Communiste Français
Parti Radical Republicain et Radical Socialiste
Parti Socialiste
Union pour un Mouvement Populaire - President Jacques Chirac's party
Union pour la Democratie Française
Les Verts - Greens

 

India
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

Ireland
Fianna Fáil
Fine Gael
Green Party
Irish Labour Party
Progressive Democrats
Sinn Fein
Socialist Workers Party

Israel
Communist Party of Israel
Israel Labor Party
Likud - party leading the current government coalition

 

Japan
Nihon Kyosan-to - Japanese Communist Party
Jiyu Minshu-to - Liberal Democratic Party
Minshu-to - Democratic Party

New Zealand
ACT New Zealand
Green Party of Aotearoa
New Zealand First
New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand National Party
United New Zealand

Russia
Russian Communist Party(KPRF), Leningrad region

South Africa
African National Congress - the party in power
Democratic Party - social democrats
Freedom Front - espouses Afrikaner homeland
Inkatha Freedom Party - mainly a party for Zulus and other living in KwaZulu-Natal
National Party - former apartheid governing party
South African Communist Party

 


United Kingdom
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
Conservative Party
Labour Party - the party in currently in power
Liberal Democrats
Plaid Cymru - Welsh nationalist party
Scottish National Party - Scottish separatist party
Sinn Fein - Irish republican party
Socialist Party
Ulster Democratic Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party

United States

The two main political parties at the federal level are: However, the Reform Party made its presence particularly felt in the 1992 presidential elections, when Ross Perot ran as the Reform candidate and won 19% of the vote. However, Perot only won 8% of the vote when he ran again the 1996 elections.

By the 2000 Presidential elections, the Reform Party was virtually wiped out and Ralph Nader's Green Party campaign finished in third place with 2.7% of the vote.

Despite all the public attention on the three leading parties, there are many other political parties active at the federal level in the U.S.

One should note that an independent candidate, Rep. Bernie Sanders, made history in 1997 by being the first independent member of Congress to be sworn in for four consecutive terms. What makes his election even more noteworthy is that he describes himself as a democratic socialist, which is extraordinary in the context of American politics.

 

Further Resources
Useful sites for finding further information about political parties around the world include: