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A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running
opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
groups or parties. Any
ruling party The ruling party or governing party in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, in the case of parliamentary systems, or holding the executive ...
staying in power for more than one consecutive term may be considered a dominant party (also referred to as a ''predominant'' or ''hegemonic'' party). Some dominant parties were called the natural governing party, given their length of time in power. ''Dominant''-parties and their domination of a state, develop out of one-sided electoral and party constellations within a
multi-party system In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in ...
(particularly under
presidential system A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separatio ...
s of governance), and as such differ from states under a ''one''-party system, which are intricately organized around a specific party. Sometimes the term "''de facto'' one-party state" is used to describe dominant-party systems which, unlike a one-party system, allows (at least nominally) democratic multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning power, thus resembling a one-party state. Dominant-party systems differ from the political dynamics of other dominant multi-party constellations such as
consociationalism Consociationalism ( ) is a form of democratic power sharing. Political scientists define a consociational state as one which has major internal divisions along ethnic, religious, or linguistic lines, but which remains stable due to consultation ...
,
grand coalition A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government. The term is most commonly used in countries where there are ...
s and
two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...
s, which are characterized and sustained by narrow or balanced competition and cooperation. Between 1950 and 2017, more than 130 countries were included in the list of dominant-party systems at different times.


Theory

Dominant-party systems are commonly based on
majority rule Majority rule is a principle that means the decision-making power belongs to the group that has the most members. In politics, majority rule requires the deciding vote to have majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary deci ...
for
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
or majority boosting in semi-proportional representation. Critics of the "dominant party" theory argue that it views the meaning of democracy as given, and that it assumes that only a particular conception of
representative democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...
(in which different parties alternate frequently in power) is valid. Suttner, R. (2006), "Party dominance 'theory': Of what value?", ''Politikon'' 33 (3), pp. 277–297
Raymond Suttner Raymond Suttner (born ) is South African activist, academic, journalist and public figure. Education and activism Suttner was born in Durban, South Africa. He obtained BA and LLB degrees from the University of Cape Town and an inter-disciplinar ...
, himself a former leader of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
(ANC), argues that "the dominant party 'system' is deeply flawed as a mode of analysis and lacks explanatory capacity. But it is also a very conservative approach to politics. Its fundamental political assumptions are restricted to one form of democracy, namely electoral politics, and display hostility towards popular politics. This is manifest in the obsession with the quality of electoral opposition, and its sidelining or ignoring of popular political activity organised in other ways. The assumption in this approach is that other forms of organisation and opposition are of limited importance or a separate matter from the consolidation of their version of democracy." One of the dangers of dominant parties is "the tendency of dominant parties to conflate party and state and to appoint party officials to senior positions irrespective of their having the required qualities." However, in some countries this is common practice even when there is no dominant party. In contrast to one-party systems, dominant-party systems can occur within a context of a democratic system. In a one-party system other parties are banned, but in dominant-party systems other political parties are tolerated, and (in democratic dominant-party systems) operate without overt legal impediment, but do not have a realistic chance of winning; the dominant party genuinely wins the votes of the vast majority of voters every time (or, in authoritarian systems, claims to). Under authoritarian dominant-party systems, which may be referred to as " electoralism" or "soft authoritarianism",
opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
parties are legally allowed to operate, but are too weak or ineffective to seriously challenge power, perhaps through various forms of corruption, constitutional quirks that intentionally undermine the ability for an effective opposition to thrive, institutional and/or organizational conventions that support the status quo, occasional but not omnipresent
political repression Political repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry's ability to take part in the political life of a society, thereby ...
, or inherent cultural values averse to change. In some states opposition parties are subject to varying degrees of official harassment and most often deal with restrictions on free speech (such as press laws), lawsuits against the opposition, and rules or electoral systems (such as
gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
of electoral districts) designed to put them at a disadvantage. In some cases outright
electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
keeps the opposition from power. On the other hand, some dominant-party systems occur, at least temporarily, in countries that are widely seen, both by their citizens and outside observers, to be textbook examples of democracy. An example of a genuine democratic dominant-party system would be the pre-
Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
India, which was almost universally viewed by all as being a democratic state, even though the only major national party at that time was the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
. The reasons why a dominant-party system may form in such a country are often debated: supporters of the dominant party tend to argue that their party is simply doing a good job in government and the opposition continuously proposes unrealistic or unpopular changes, while supporters of the opposition tend to argue that the electoral system disfavors them (for example because it is based on the principle of
first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
), or that the dominant party receives a disproportionate amount of funding from various sources and is therefore able to mount more persuasive campaigns. In states with ethnic issues, one party may be seen as being the party for an ethnicity or race with the party for the majority ethnic, racial or religious group dominating, e.g., the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
(governing since the end of
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
in 1994) has strong support amongst
Bantu peoples of South Africa South African Bantu-speaking peoples are the majority of black South Africans. Occasionally grouped as Bantu, the term itself is derived from the word for "people" common to many of the Bantu languages. The Oxford Dictionary of South African En ...
and the
Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...
governed
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
from its creation in 1921 until 1972 with the support of the
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
majority. Similarly, the Apartheid-era National Party in South Africa had the support of
Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Cas ...
who make up the majority of
White South Africans White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settle ...
while English-speaking white South Africans tended towards more liberal and reform-oriented parties like the Progressive Federal Party. Sub-national entities are often dominated by one party due to the area's demographic being on one end of the spectrum. For example, the current elected
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...
of the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
has been governed by Democrats since its creation in the 1970s,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
by the Christian Social Union since 1957,
Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
by the Social Democrats since 1976, and
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
by Progressive Conservatives from 1971 to 2015. On the other hand, where the dominant party rules nationally on a genuinely democratic basis, the opposition may be strong in one or more subnational areas, possibly even constituting a dominant party locally; an example is South Africa, where although the African National Congress is dominant at the national level, the opposition Democratic Alliance is strong to dominant in the Province of Western Cape.


Current dominant-party systems


Africa

* **
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, abbr. MPLA), for some years called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan left-wing, social dem ...
, ''Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola'' (MPLA): In power since independence, November 11, 1975; sole legal party, 1975–91 ** Formerly led by President
José Eduardo dos Santos José Eduardo dos Santos (; 28 August 1942 – 8 July 2022) was the president of Angola from 1979 to 2017. As president, dos Santos was also the commander-in-chief of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and president of the People's Movement for t ...
(in office from September 10, 1979, to August 28, 2017) and now led by
João Lourenço João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (born 5 March 1954) is an Angolan politician, who has served as the president of Angola since 26 September 2017. Previously, he was Minister of Defence from 2014 to 2017. In September 2018, he became the Cha ...
. ** Presidential election, 1992: dos Santos (MPLA-PT) won 49.6% of the vote. As this was not an absolute majority, a runoff against Jonas Savimbi (40.1%) was required, but did not take place. Dos Santos remained in office without democratic legitimacy. ** New constitution, 2010: popular election of president abolished in favour of a rule that the top candidate of the most voted party in parliamentary elections becomes president. ** Parliamentary election, 2017: MPLA 61.11% and 150 of 220 seats. * ** Botswana Democratic Party (BDP): Led by President
Mokgweetsi Masisi Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi (born 21 July 1961) is the fifth and current President of Botswana, serving since 2018. He served as the 8th Vice President of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was a Member of Parliament in the ...
, in office since April 1, 2018 ** In power since independence in 1966, first elected March 3, 1965 ** Parliamentary election, 2019: BDP 52.65% and 38 of 57 seats ** Local elections, 2009: BDP 333 of 490 seats * ** National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) In power since 2005 ** Led by President
Évariste Ndayishimiye General Évariste Ndayishimiye (born 1968) is a Burundian politician who has served as President of Burundi since 18 June 2020. He became involved in the rebel National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democrac ...
, in office since June 18, 2020 ** Presidential election, 2020: CNDD-FDD 71.45% * **
Cameroon People's Democratic Movement The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM; french: Rassemblement démocratique du Peuple Camerounais, RDPC) is the ruling political party in Cameroon. Previously known as the Cameroonian National Union, which had dominated Cameroon politi ...
(Rassemblement Démocratique et Populaire du Cameroun, RDPC): Led by President
Paul Biya Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982.
, in office since November 6, 1982 ** In power, under various names, since independence, January 1, 1960 (Sole legal party, 1966–1990) ** Presidential election, 2018: Paul Biya (RDPC) 71.28% ** Parliamentary election, 2020: RDPC 139 of 180 seats * **
Congolese Party of Labour The Congolese Party of Labour (french: Parti congolais du travail, PCT) is the ruling party of the Republic of the Congo. Founded in 1969 by Marien Ngouabi, it was originally a pro-Soviet, Marxist–Leninist vanguard party which founded the P ...
(Parti Congolais du Travail, PCT): Led by President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, in office from February 8, 1979, to August 31, 1992, and since October 15, 1997 ** In power, under various names, from 1969 to 1992 and since 1997 (Sole legal party, 1963–1990) ** Parliamentary election, 2017: PCT 90 of 139 seats ** Presidential election, 2016: Denis Sassou-Nguesso (PCT) 60.19% * ** People's Rally for Progress (Rassemblement Populaire pour de Progrès, RPP) ** Led by President Ismail Omar Guelleh, in office since May 8, 1999 ** In power since its formation in 1979 (Sole legal party, 1979–1992) ** Parliamentary election, 2018: RPP in coalition, 87.83% and 57 of 65 seats ** Presidential election, 2016: Ismail Omar Guelleh (RPP) 87.07% * **
Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea ( es, Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial, abbreviated PDGE) is the ruling political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was established by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on 11 October 1987. ...
(Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial, PDGE) ** Led by President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician and former military officer who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He is the longest-serving president of any country ev ...
, in office since August 3, 1979: In power since its formation in 1987 (Sole legal party, 1987–1991) ** Senate election, 2017: PDGE 92.00% 55 of 70 seats (Includes 15 unelected representatives appointed by the president.) ** Chamber of People's Representatives election, 2017: PDGE 92.00% 99 of 100 seats ** Presidential election, 2016: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (PDGE) 93.53% * **
Prosperity Party The Prosperity Party ( am, ብልጽግና ፓርቲ, Bilits’igina Paritī; om, Paartii Badhaadhiinaa) is a political party in Ethiopia that was established on 1 December 2019 as a successor to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democrati ...
, previously Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF): Led by Prime Minister
Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...
, in office since April 2, 2018 ** In power since May 28, 1991 (party reorganization 2019) ** Parliamentary election, 2015: 500 of 547 seats (546 of 547 seats including allies) ** Regional election, 2015: Regional partners 1987 of 1990 seats * **
Gabonese Democratic Party The Gabonese Democratic Party (french: Parti Démocratique Gabonais, abbreviated PDG), is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Between 1968 and 1990 it was the sole legal party. History The party was established as the Gabonese Dem ...
(Parti Démocratique Gabonais, PDG): Led by President
Ali Bongo Ondimba Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959),"Bongo Ali", ''Gabon: Les hommes de pouvoir'', number 4Africa Intelligence 5 March 2002 . sometimes known as Ali Bongo, is a Gabonese politician who has been the third president of ...
, in office since October 16, 2009 ** In power, under various names, since November 28, 1958 (Sole legal party, 1968–1991) ** Parliamentary election, 2018: PDG 98 of 120 seats ** Presidential election, 2016: Ali Bongo Ondimba 49.8% * **
Mozambican Liberation Front FRELIMO (; from the Portuguese , ) is a democratic socialist political party in Mozambique. It is the dominant party in Mozambique and has won a majority of the seats in the Assembly of the Republic in every election since the country's fir ...
(FRELIMO) ** Led by President Filipe Nyusi, in office since January 15, 2015 ** In power since independence, June 25, 1975 (Sole legal party, 1975–1990) ** Presidential election, 2019: Filipe Nyusi (FRELIMO) 73.46% ** Parliamentary election, 2019: FRELIMO 71.28% and 184 of 250 seats * ** South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) ** Led by President
Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (born 3 August 1941) is a Namibian politician, serving as the third president of Namibia since 21 March 2015. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002, and served as prime minister again from 201 ...
, in office since March 21, 2015 ** In power since independence, March 21, 1990 ** Presidential election, 2019: Hage Geingob (SWAPO) 56.3% ** Parliamentary election, 2019: SWAPO 63 of 96 seats ** Local elections, 2015: SWAPO 112 of 121 seats ** Regional elections, 2015: SWAPO 277 of 378 seats * **
Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...
(RPF) ** Led by President
Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...
, in office since March 24, 2000 ** In power since July 19, 1994 ** Presidential election, 2017: Paul Kagame (RPF) 98.79% ** Parliamentary election, 2018: RPF 73.95% and 40 of 80 seats * **
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
(ANC) ** Led by President
Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
, in office since February 15, 2018 ** In power since May 10, 1994 ** Parliamentary election, 2019: ANC 57.50% and 230 of 400 seats ** Municipal elections, 2021: ANC 47.52% * **
Sudan People's Liberation Movement The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM; ar, الحركة الشعبية لتحرير السودان, ''Al-Ḥarakat ash-Shaʿbiyyat liTaḥrīr as-Sūdān'') is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as the political w ...
(SPLM) ** Led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, in office since July 9, 2011; and was President of Southern Sudan since July 30, 2005 ** In power since independence, July 9, 2011; and in the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan since formation, July 9, 2005 ** Presidential election, 2010: Salva Kiir Mayardit (SPLM) 92.99% ** Parliamentary election, 2010: SPLM 160 of 170 seats ** * ** Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM): Led by President
Samia Suluhu Hassan Samia Suluhu Hassan (born 27 January 1960) is a Tanzanian politician who has been serving since 19 March 2021 as the sixth (and first female) president of Tanzania. She is a member of the ruling social-democrat Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) part ...
, in office since March 19, 2021 ** In power, under various names, since independence, December 9, 1961 (Sole legal party, 1964–1992) ** Civic election, 2014: CCM 74.50% ** Presidential election, 2015:
John Magufuli John Pombe Joseph Magufuli (29 October 1959 – 17 March 2021) was the fifth president of Tanzania, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015 and wa ...
(CCM) 58.46% ** Parliamentary election, 2015: CCM 252 of 367 seats * ** Union for the Republic (UNIR): Led by President Faure Gnassingbé, in office since February 5, 2005 ** In power since its formation in 2012 ** Presidential election, 2020: Faure Gnassingbé (UNIR) 70.78% ** Parliamentary election, 2018: UNIR 59 of 91 seats * **
National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement ( sw, Harakati za Upinzani za Kitaifa; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla ...
(NRM): Led by President
Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...
, in office since January 29, 1986. ** In power as ''de facto'' dominant party since January 29, 1986, as a "non-party Movement." ** Became ''de jure'' dominant party with the return of multi-party elections on July 28, 2005. ** Presidential election, 2016:
Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...
(NRM) 60.62% ** Parliamentary election, 2016: NRM 293 of 426 seats * ** The
Polisario Front The Polisario Front, Frente Polisario, Frelisario or simply Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro), (in ar, rtl=yes, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الس� ...
is the only political party represented in the
government in exile A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile ...
of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a ...
(headquartered in neighbouring Algeria) ** Legislative election, 2012: 53 of 53 Seats ** Other parties are permitted in the Sahrawi constitution, but currently none exist, effectively making the SADR a
one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other partie ...
** The United Nations has designated the Polisario Front to be the sole legitimate representative of the
Sahrawi people The Sahrawi, or Saharawi people ( ar, صحراويون '; es, Saharaui), are an ethnic group and nation native to the western part of the Sahara desert, which includes the Western Sahara, southern Morocco, much of Mauritania, and along the ...
* ** Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF): Formerly led by President
Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
, in office from April 18, 1980, to November 21, 2017 (as president since December 31, 1987) and now led by
Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe, he held a ...
since November 24, 2017. In power since independence, April 17, 1980 ** Presidential election, 2018: Emmerson Mnangagwa (ZANU-PF) 50.8% ** House of Assembly election, 2018: ZANU-PF 179 of 270 elective seats ** Senate election, 2018: ZANU-PF 43.8% and won 34 of 80 elective seats


Americas

* ** The
Barbuda People's Movement The Barbuda People's Movement is a centre-left Barbudan nationalist political party in Antigua and Barbuda. History The party first contested a general election in 1989, in which they won a single seat.Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americ ...
has ruled the island of
Barbuda Barbuda (), is an island located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the sovereign state of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located north of the island of Antigua and is part of the Leeward Islands of the West Indies. The island is a popula ...
since 1979, and has won every election for the island's seat in the national
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
except for the
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
and
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
elections. * ** The
Justicialist Party The Justicialist Party ( es, Partido Justicialista, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Current president Alberto Fernández belongs to the Justicialist Party (and has, since 2021, serve ...
has won every gubernatorial election since 1973 in the provinces of
Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...
,
La Pampa La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza. History ...
, San Luis, Santa Cruz and
La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
. ** The Neuquén People's Movement has won every gubernatorial election since 1962 in the province of Neuquén * ** Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) from 2006 to 2019 and came back to power in 2020. ** 2020 Bolivian general election:
Luis Arce Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (; born 28 September 1963), often referred to as Lucho, is a Bolivian banker, economist, and politician serving as the 67th president of Bolivia since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism, he previously serv ...
: 55.10%, won 75 chamber seats and 21 senate seats * **: has been dominated by the
Brazilian Social Democracy Party The Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( pt, Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a political party in Brazil. As the third largest par ...
since 1994. **: the Workers' Party has won every gubernatorial election since 2006. * ** :
Johnny Araya Johnny Francisco Araya Monge (born 29 April 1957) is a Costa Rican politician. He was the mayor of the country's capital San José from 1998 to 2001 and again since 2003. He was also the co-president of the United Cities and Local Governments ...
is the
Mayor of San Jose The Mayor of San Jose, officially the Mayor of the City of San José, is executive of the Government of the City of San Jose, California in the United States. The mayor presides over the San Jose City Council, which is composed of 11 voting ...
since 1998 and is a member of the National Liberation Party. Araya only resign his office for a short period of time to be presidential candidate in the
2014 Costa Rican general election General elections were held in Costa Rica on Sunday, 2 February 2014 to elect a new president, two vice presidents, and 57 Legislative Assembly lawmakers. In accordance with Article 132 of the constitution, incumbent President Laura Chinchill ...
and was reelected back to mayor in the following
2016 San José mayoral election Mayoral and municipal elections were held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on 7 February 2016 and were the method by which the citizens of the canton of San José elected the mayor, deputy mayors, syndics, aldermen and district councilors of the capital ...
although using a local party as he was temporarily banned from PLN, he returned to PLN soon after the election. **
Curridabat Curridabat is a district of the Curridabat canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica. Geography Curridabat has an area of km2 and an elevation of metres. It is situated on the eastern border of the San José capital city, north of ...
: 21st Century Curridabat has elected all
Curridabat Curridabat is a district of the Curridabat canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica. Geography Curridabat has an area of km2 and an elevation of metres. It is situated on the eastern border of the San José capital city, north of ...
mayors since direct mayor elections exist in Costa Rica in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. * ** Dominica Labour Party: Led by Roosevelt Skerrit and
Charles Savarin Charles Angelo Savarin (born 2 October 1943) is a politician from Dominica who has been President of Dominica since 2013. He is a member of the Dominica Labour Party and served for a time as Minister for National Security, Immigration, Labour ...
** In power since 2000 ** 2019 Dominican general election: 58.95% and won 18 of 21 seats * ** The
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...
(PRI) has won every gubernatorial election in the states of
Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
,
Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...
,
Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...
, Hidalgo and the
State of Mexico The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...
since its foundation in 1929. ** The National Action Party (PAN) has dominated politics in the state of
Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...
since 1991, winning every gubernatorial election since 1995. * **
FSLN The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto C� ...
: Led by
Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan revolutionary and politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator of the Junta of Na ...
. Presidency since 2007 (and 1979–1990) mayor of every major city, including
Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicar ...
, majorities in most departments. ** Local elections, 2012: 75.7% and 127 of 153 seats ** General election, 2016: Daniel Ortega 72.5% ** National election, 2016: 66.8% ** Constituency election, 2016: 65.7% ** Central American Parliament, 2016: 68.6% * ** Unity Labor Party: Led by Prime Minister
Ralph Gonsalves Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
. **In power since 2001 **
2020 Vincentian general election General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 5 November 2020. Nomination day was 20 October 2020. The result was a victory for the Unity Labour Party, its fifth in a row; the party won nine of the fifteen seats, gaining one ...
: 49.6% (lost popular vote) and won 9 of 15 seats. * ** United Socialist Party of Venezuela led Great Patriotic Pole: In power since 1999, led by
Hugo Chavez Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...
, then
Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and president of Venezuela since 2013, with his presidency under dispute since 2019. Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union ...
**
2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election Constituent Assembly elections were held in Venezuela on 30 July 2017 to elect the members of the 2017 Constituent National Assembly ( es, Asamblea Nacional Constituyente; ANC). Unlike the 1999 Constituent National Assembly, which was assembled f ...
: won 538 of 545 seats **
2017 Venezuelan regional elections Regional elections were held in Venezuela on 15 October 2017 to elect the executive position of all 23 federal entities. This marked the first state executive election not held on the same date as elections for state legislatures, and the second ...
: 52.7% **
2017 Venezuelan municipal elections The Venezuelan municipal elections of 2017 were held on 10 December 2017, to elect 335 mayors throughout Venezuela, as well as the governor of the state of Zulia. This was the first municipal election held since 2013, when elections were delayed ...
: GPP 71.31% and won 306 of 365 seats **
2018 Venezuelan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Venezuela on 20 May 2018, with incumbent Nicolás Maduro being declared re-elected for a second six-year term. The original electoral date was scheduled for December 2018 but was subsequently pulled ahead t ...
: Nicolás Maduro 67.8% ** 2020 Venezuelan parliamentary election: GPP claimed 70% of the seats. **As of 2021, legislative, judiciary and executive are ''de facto'' controlled by Maduro's party


Canada

Canada's lower house, the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
of the
Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, ...
, is a
multi-party system In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in ...
. Multiple political parties are represented; however, every federal election since
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
has seen in essence only two federal parties win enough seats to form a government: the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
, and various iterations of a conservative party including the now defunct
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...
and the modern
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, which governed from 2006 to 2015. With the emergence and strengthening of regional, and other non-traditional parties such as the
Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , " Quebecer Bloc") is a federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was formed by Members of Parliament (MPs) who defected from the federal Prog ...
following the
Meech Lake Accord The Meech Lake Accord (french: Accord du lac Meech) was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the gov ...
and the
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...
, which have both served as the
Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...
, both the Liberal and Conservative Party have relied on unofficial support from these smaller parties when in
minority governments A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...
. The
Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia' ...
has nonetheless been dominant in federal politics of Canada since its founding. So much so, that critics and academics alike have sometimes described the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
as "Canada's natural governing party". , the
Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia' ...
had governed for 86 of the past 126 years. Canada's 23rd prime minister,
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...
, is the 13th Liberal to serve as prime minister. The party ruled between 1896 to 1911, from 1921 to 1930 (except a few months), from 1935 to 1957, from 1963 to 1984 (except for a brief period from 1979 to 1980) and 1993 to 2006. In early 2006, the newly formed
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...
were elected, governing until 2015. After a nearly a decade in opposition, the Liberals returned to power following the 2015 election and were subsequently re-elected as minority governments in the 2019 election and the 2021 election. At the provincial level, dominant party systems were once common with single party governments holding power for decades in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. However, at present (2022) only the Province of Saskatchewan could be described as having a dominant party system. * has seen the centre-right
Saskatchewan Party The Saskatchewan Party is a centre-right political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Since 2007, it has been the province's governing party; both the party and the province are currently led by Premier Scott Moe. The party was est ...
win four consecutive elections in 2007, 2011, 2016, and 2020; with a majority government secured for the party in each of them. The Saskatchewan Party won 48 of the 61 seats in the 2020 election. Prior to the emergence of the Saskatchewan Party, the province's politics were dominated by the left-leaning, social democratic
Saskatchewan NDP The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s. Th ...
(and its predecessor the
CCF CCF can refer to: Computing * Confidential Consortium Framework, a free and open source blockchain infrastructure framework developed by Microsoft * Customer Care Framework, a Microsoft product Finance * Credit conversion factor converts the am ...
), which governed from 1944-1964, 1971-1982 and 1991-2007. The Saskatchewan NDP remains the only opposition party in the Saskatchewan Legislature.


United States

As a whole, the US has a
two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...
, with the main parties since the mid-19th century being Democratic Party and the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...
. However, some states and cities have been dominated by one of these parties for up to several decades, and during the 20th century, Democrats dominated
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
for 60 years. Some parts of the US have differing party systems and third-party representation. Most notably the two main parties in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
(home to 3 million Americans) are the New Progressive Party and the Popular Democratic Party, with 3 minor parties represented after the 2020 election. Dominant-party systems can also exist on
Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
s. The Seneca Nation of Indians, a tribe with territory within the bounds of the
State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...
, has had the Seneca Party as the dominant party in its political system for several decades.


= Congress

= For 62 years from 1933 until 1995, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
was dominated by the Democratic Party. During this period, Republicans only held a majority in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
for a total of 4 years: 1947–49 and 1953–55. In the Senate, Republicans held a majority for a total of 10 years: 1947–49, 1953–55 and 1981–87. This was largely due to the enduring popularity of the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...
introduced by the Democratic Party during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, and supported by the New Deal Coalition – a broad coalition of many different types of voters who all supported the Democratic Party's economic policies. The New Deal Coalition fractured in the mid-1960s and by the mid-1990s the Democrats had lost control of Congress in the "
Republican Revolution The "Republican Revolution", "Revolution of '94", or "Gingrich Revolution" are political slogans that refer to the Republican Party (GOP) success in the 1994 U.S. mid-term elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of ...
."
Gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
has also been a feature of politics for the House of Representatives, allowing parties to sometimes retain or gain a majority of seats, even when losing the popular vote nationally. Following the 2020 elections, Democrats retained their majority in the House, although with reduced seats. After winning two runoff elections in the
state of Georgia Georgia is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina; to the northeast by South Carolina; to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; to the south by Florida; and to the west ...
they got an effective 50/50 tie in the Senate (counting two independents who caucus with the Democrats). This meant the
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
(
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
, a Democrat) was allowed to cast a vote as a
tie-breaker In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
, in the event of a 50–50 tie.


= Presidency

= No party has dominated the
Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by ...
since the end of the
First Party System The First Party System is a model of American politics used in history and political science to periodize the political party system that existed in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824. It featured two national parties competing for ...
in the 1820s. The
Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...
party controlled the Presidency for the longest period (24 years from 1801 until it splintered during and after the election of 1824), and its
presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...
faced no organized opposition in 1820. Since then no party has had their candidates control the Presidency for more than 20 years in a row (the Democratic Party from 1933 to 1953), and since 1953 no party has controlled the presidency for more than 12 years in a row (the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...
from 1981 to 1993). The longest-serving President was Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt who served three consecutive terms from 1933 to 1945. Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term but died two months after inauguration. In 1951, the U.S. ratified the 22nd Amendment which limits a person to two full terms as President, but does not prevent candidates from one party from dominating the Presidency by winning consecutive elections. The US uses an Electoral College system to elect its President, where votes in low population states have more weight. As a result, it's possible to win the Presidential election while another candidate wins more votes, nationally. In 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016, a Republican candidate won the election and became President, while a Democrat received more votes.


= Southern United States

= Historically, the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
was dominated by the Democratic Party, and in particular sub-factions called the
Southern Democrats Southern Democrats, historically sometimes known colloquially as Dixiecrats, are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the Southern United States. Southern Democrats were generally much more conservative than Northern Democrats wi ...
and
Solid South The Solid South or Southern bloc was the electoral voting bloc of the states of the Southern United States for issues that were regarded as particularly important to the interests of Democrats in those states. The Southern bloc existed especial ...
. This began prior to the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
but was especially from the end of the
Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
in 1877 to the election of Republican President
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gre ...
in
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
, who won five of the eleven former Confederate states. Southern Democrats originally supported the enslavement of
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, then after the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
and Reconstruction, supported
Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the S ...
designed to heavily oppress and politically disenfranchise millions of black Americans. In the 1960s, northern Democrats, including Southern Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson and his predecessor John F. Kennedy, supported the
civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
and passage of the
Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act may refer to several acts of the United States Congress, including: * Civil Rights Act of 1866, extending the rights of emancipated slaves by stating that any person born in the United States regardless of race is an American citi ...
, which alienated the Southern Democrats. Later, the Republican Party developed a
southern strategy In American politics, the Southern strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. As the civil rights movement and dismantling of ...
to gain support among the newly disaffected Southern voters, by appealing to conservative cultural values, such as opposition to abortion. This led to the South eventually becoming dominated overall by the Republican Party, although intra-state politics remain dominated by the Democratic Party well into the 2000's and even former segregationists such as Robert Byrd were elected to the U.S. Senate from that party.


= Urban-rural divide

= In the 21st century, there is increasingly an urban-rural split where large urban areas tend to be dominated by Democrats and rural areas tend to be dominated by Republicans. This tends to hold true despite the overall leanings of the state or territory. That is, rural areas tend to vote Republican even in otherwise Democrat-dominated states, while urban areas tend to vote Democrat even in Republican-dominated states. This trend is increasing over time, with rural areas growing more heavily Republican, and inner city areas growing more heavily Democratic.


= Red and blue states

= Some states have been dominated by a single party for a long period of time. States which have a long record of being dominated by one party are often called red or blue states, after the colour representing their dominant party (red for Republicans, blue for Democrats). Some states lie in the middle, not being heavily dominated by either party. States where elections are especially close, are often termed "purple." Following the
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and 2020 elections, the Republican Party continued to hold a majority of state legislatures and a majority of governorships. Dominated by the Democratic Party: * had Republican governors as late as 2011 (except 1975–1983 and 1999–2003) but has voted for Democrats in national races and has a legislature dominated by the Democrats since the 1990s. Due to the top two primary election, many statewide and local races are contested by two members of the Democratic Party in the general election. State Legislatures are controlled by the Democrats since 1970 (except 1994–1996). ** United States presidential election, 2016: Hillary Clinton (Democratic) 61.73% and won 55 electoral votes ** United States Senate election, 2016: Democrats 61.6% ** State Assembly election, 2016: Democrats 61.08% and won 55 of 80 seats **
United States House of Representatives elections Elections in the United States are held for government officials at the federal, state, and local levels. At the federal level, the nation's head of state, the president, is elected indirectly by the people of each state, through an Elector ...
Democrats 63.91% and won 39 of 53 seats * has been continuously governed by Democrats since the Home Rule Act of 1973 was passed. * has been dominated by Democrats since the Democratic Revolution of 1954. Beforehand, the then-
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
was dominated by Republicans and a sugar oligarchy. * has an overwhelmingly Democratic population. Democrats have controlled all statewide offices since 2006 (not counting the governor, a Republican was last elected statewide in 2002). * , while once a heavily Republican state, has had only one Republican governor since 1975, has voted Democrat in every Presidential election since 1988, and had no Republican statewide elected officials from 2002 until the election of Dennis Richardson as
Oregon Secretary of State The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, c ...
in 2016. Dominated by the Republican Party: * : dominated by Republicans since the mid-1990s. * has been dominated by Republicans for most of its existence, with no Democratic governors since 1994 and only two years in which the State Senate was tied evenly since 1960. * : dominated by Republicans since the mid-1990s. * : dominated by Republicans since the mid-1990s. * has been dominated by Republicans for most of its existence, aside from a few Democratic and Populist governments and coalitions with Republicans, with only three elected high officials and two years of State Senate dominance since 1979. * has been dominated by Republicans for most of its existence, except for Democratic dominance during the Fifth Party System and between 1917 and 1920, the 1890s, and between 1959 and 1984. * has been dominated by Republicans for most of its existence, with only four years where a house of the legislature has been Democratic since 1939, and mostly Republican governors during that period.


Asia and Oceania

* ** : The
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
has held power for eleven years as of 2022. * **
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
(AL): Led by Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh since January 2 ...
, in office since 6 January 2009; In power since 2008 **
2018 Bangladeshi general election General elections were held in Bangladesh on 30 December 2018 to elect 300 directly-elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was a landslide victory for the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina. According to political scientist Ali Ria ...
: 81.93% and 259 of 300 seats * **
Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ...
(CPP): Led by Prime Minister
Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...
, in office since 14 January 1985 ** In power since 1993 (sole legal party 1979–1992) **
2017 Cambodian communal elections Communal elections ( km, ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើសក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំសង្កាត់ អាណត្តិទី៤ ឆ្នាំ២០១៧) were held in Cambodia on Sunday, 4 ...
: 50.76% and 6,503 of 11,572 councillors **
2018 Cambodian Senate election Senate elections were held in Cambodia on 25 February 2018 after being postponed from 14 January 2018. For the first time, the Senate and parliamentary elections occurred in the same year. The result was a victory for the CPP, which won all 58 sea ...
: 95.95% and 58 of 58 seats ** 2018 Cambodian general election: 76.85% and 125 of 125 seats * **
Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...
(CCP): Led by
CCP General Secretary The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader ...
and
Paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...
, in office since November 15, 2012 ** In power since 1949 (sole ruling party from 1954) ** Congressional election, 2017–18: 70.0% and 2,119 of 2,980 Seats ** Eight other parties are legally permitted with the CCP as the
United Front A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political ...
as the PRC ruled as a
one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other partie ...
. * **
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
: Since 1998, the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...
has consecutively ruled the state legislature of Gujarat. **
Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
: Since 2000, the
Biju Janata Dal The Biju Janata Dal (; BJD) is a regional political party in the Indian state of Odisha founded and led by Naveen Patnaik, the current Chief Minister of Odisha and the son of former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik, after whom the par ...
has dominated the state legislature of Odisha without interruption. * ** : Dominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle since 2003 ** Depok City: Led by
Prosperous Justice Party The Prosperous Justice Party ( id, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, sometimes called the Justice and Prosperity Party), frequently abbreviated to PKS, is an IslamistAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2017). ''Moving towards a Normalised Path: Political Islam in Contempo ...
politicians since 2005 ** : The
Prosperous Justice Party The Prosperous Justice Party ( id, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, sometimes called the Justice and Prosperity Party), frequently abbreviated to PKS, is an IslamistAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2017). ''Moving towards a Normalised Path: Political Islam in Contempo ...
won every gubernatorial elections in 2010,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
and
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
* ** : Led by
Parti Islam Se-Malaysia The Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS; ms, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; ms, ڤرتي إسلام سمليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is an Islamist political party in Malaysia. As the party focused on Islamic fundamentalism, PAS's ...
(PAS) under various coalitions (
Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah The Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU or ''Muslims Unity Movement'') was an informal Malaysian political coalition. The now defunct political coalition was formed by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's formation of Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46 or Semangat 46 ...
,
Barisan Alternatif The Barisan Alternatif (BA, '' lit.'' Alternative Front) was a coalition of Malaysian opposition parties, formed as a counterweight to the ruling Barisan Nasional. Disbanded after the 2004 general elections, all 4 former component parties of ...
,
Pakatan Rakyat The People's Alliance ( ms, Pakatan Rakyat; abbrev: PR) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DA ...
,
Gagasan Sejahtera The Gagasan Sejahtera (English: ''Ideas of Prosperity'', abbrev: GS) was a coalition of opposition Islamist political parties which promote the "ideas of peace" in Malaysia. The informal electoral pact was formed initially on 16 March 2016 by ...
,
Perikatan Nasional The National Alliance ( ms, Perikatan Nasional; abbrev: PN) is a political coalition composed of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). This coalition was ...
) since 1990. PAS also lead the state government as a single party from 1955 to 1973 and as a component party of
Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
from 1973 to 1978, when they were expelled from BN in the aftermath of the
1977 Kelantan Emergency The 1977 Kelantan Emergency took place in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. The state of emergency was declared by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Yahya Petra who was also Sultan of Kelantan at the time on 8 November 1977 upon the request of t ...
. ** : Led by
Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
and its predecessor, Perikatan since 1955. Currently lead a coalition government with
Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
after the
2022 Pahang state election The 2022 Pahang state election, formally the 15th Pahang state election, took place on 19 November 2022. This election was to elect 42 members of the 15th Pahang State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 14 October 2022 ...
. ** : Led by
Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
and its predecessor,
Pakatan Rakyat The People's Alliance ( ms, Pakatan Rakyat; abbrev: PR) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DA ...
since 2008 ** : Led by Gabungan Parti Sarawak and its predecessors (BN Sarawak, Sarawak Alliance) since independence (1963) ** : Led by
Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
and its predecessor,
Pakatan Rakyat The People's Alliance ( ms, Pakatan Rakyat; abbrev: PR) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DA ...
since 2008 * ** Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): Led by Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida is a Japanese politician serving as Prime Minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2021. A member of the House of Representatives, he previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2017 an ...
, in office since 4 October 2021 ** In power 1955–1993, 1994–2009 and since 2012 (governed in coalition with
Komeito , formerly New Komeito and abbreviated NKP, is a conservative political party in Japan founded by lay members of the Buddhist Japanese new religious movement Soka Gakkai in 1964. Since 2012, it has served in government as the junior coalit ...
since 1999) Was also briefly out of power in 1993 due to an oppositional coalition. ** Parliamentary election 2017: LDP 284 of 465 seats (Governing coalition 313 of 465 seats). * ** West Bank Government (
Fatah Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and s ...
): Led by President
Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Nati ...
, in office since 15 January 2005 (as Chairman of the PLO since 26 October 2004) *** In power since 1994 ***
2005 Palestinian presidential election Presidential elections were held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip of the Palestinian National Authority on Sunday, 9 January 2005 to elect the President of the Palestinian National Authority, to succeed Yasser Arafat, who had died on 11 November 2 ...
: Mahmoud Abbas 62.52% ** Gaza Strip Government (
Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni- Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qas ...
): Led by Chairman of the Political Bureau
Ismail Haniyeh Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh; sometimes transliterated as Haniya, Haniyah, or Hanieh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Hani ...
, in office since 6 May 2017 (as
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
from 29 March 2006, to 2 June 2014) *** In power since 2007 ***
2006 Palestinian legislative election Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas, ...
: 74 of 132 seats and 44.45% * **
People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
(PAP): Led by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...
, in office since 12 August 2004 ** In power since 5 June 1959 ** Parliamentary election, 2020: PAP won 61.2% of the popular vote and 83 out of 93 seats ** Presidential election, 2017: Former PAP member
Halimah Yacob Halimah Yacob (Jawi script: ; born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician and former lawyer who has been serving as the eighth president of Singapore since 2017. Prior to her presidency, she was the country's Speaker of the Parliament of S ...
won (sole candidate) * ** National Progressive Front (NPF), a coalition of 10 parties led by the
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي – قطر سوريا ''Ḥizb al-Ba'th al-'Arabī al-Ishtirākī – Quṭr Sūriyā''), officially the Syrian Regional Branch (Syria bei ...
(Baath Party): Led by President
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
, in office since 17 July 2000 ** In power since 8 March 1963 ** Presidential election, 2021: Bashar al-Assad 95.1% ** Parliamentary election, 2020: Baath Party won 167 of 250 seats (National Progressive Front 183 of 250) * ** People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan is headed by President Emomalii Rahmon: In power since 1994 ** Presidential election in 2013 won by
Emomali Rahmon Emomali Rahmon (; born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov, tg, Эмомалӣ Шарӣпович Раҳмонов, script=Latn, italic=no, Emomalī Sharīpovich Rahmonov; ; born 5 October 1952) has been the 3rd President of Tajikistan since 16 Novem ...
83.92%. ** Since the Parliamentary election in 2020 holds 47 seats in Assembly of Representatives * **
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan ) , colours = Green Gold (color), Gold , seats1_title = Seats in the Assembly of Turkmenistan , seats1 = , colors = Green Gold (color), Gold , website tdp.gov.tm The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Parti ...
is headed by Kasymguly Babaev since August 18, 2013 ** Presidential election in 2017 won by Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow 97.69% ** Parliamentary election, 2018: 55 of 125 seats in the
Assembly of Turkmenistan The Assembly ( tk, Mejlis) is since March 2021 the lower house of the National Council of Turkmenistan. It has 125 members, elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies. Structure In addition to the chairperson and deputy chairp ...
** In power since independence in 1990 ** Sole legal party until 2012


Eurasia

* **
New Azerbaijan Party The New Azerbaijan Party ( az, Yeni Azərbaycan Partiyası, YAP) is the ruling political party in Azerbaijan, founded on 21 November 1992 under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev. After his election as President of Azerbaijan on 3 October 1993, an ...
(YAP) has been in power essentially continuously since 1993. ** Parliamentary election, 2020: 72 of 125 seats ** Presidential election, 2018:
Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev ( az, İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, ; born 24 December 1961) is the fourth president of Azerbaijan, serving in the post since 31 October 2003. The son and second child of the former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, ...
86.02% * **
Nur Otan Amanat (), previously known as Nur Otan () until 2022, is a big tent political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007. ...
** Parliamentary election in 2016: 82.20% and 84 of 107 seats in the Majilis ** Presidential election in 2022:
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev ( kk, Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев, Qasym-Jomart Kemelūly Toqaev ; born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who is currently serving as the President of Kazakhstan since 12 J ...
81.31% * **
United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
*** Led by
Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
(President 2008–2012, Prime Minister 2012–2020) *** In power since 2003 *** Presidential election, 2018:
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
76.7% (endorsed by
United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
and several other parties, but ran as an independent) *** Parliamentary election, 2021: 49.82% and 324 of 450 seats *** Governors: 60 of 85 * **
United Ossetia United Ossetia ( os, Иугонд Ир, russian: Единая Осетия) is a political party in South Ossetia founded in 2012. In the 2014 parliamentary election it won 20 out of 34 seats, clearing the majority in the Parliament of South Osse ...
** Led by
Anatoliy Bibilov Anatoly Ilyich Bibilov ( os, Бибылты Ильяйы фырт Анатолий, Bibylty Iljajy fyrt Anatolij; , russian: Анато́лий Ильи́ч Биби́лов; born 6 February 1970) is a Russian and South Ossetian military office ...
** In power since 2014 (a continuation of the governing 2001–2014 Unity Party, now defunct) ** Parliamentary election, 2014: 44.84% and 20 of 34 seats ** Presidential election, 2017:
Anatoliy Bibilov Anatoly Ilyich Bibilov ( os, Бибылты Ильяйы фырт Анатолий, Bibylty Iljajy fyrt Anatolij; , russian: Анато́лий Ильи́ч Биби́лов; born 6 February 1970) is a Russian and South Ossetian military office ...
54.80%


Europe

* ** ***
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curre ...
: Led by
Johanna Mikl-Leitner Johanna Mikl-Leitner (born 9 February 1964) is an Austrian politician (ÖVP) and since 19 April 2017 the governor of Lower Austria. Early life and education Johanna Mikl-Leitner was born in Hollabrunn, Lower Austria. She grew up in Großharras, ...
, Governor (since 2017); In power since 1945 *** State election, 2018: VPNÖ 49.64% and won 29 of 56 seats ***
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: ÖVP 40.1% *** 2019 Austrian legislative election: ÖVP 42.3% ** ***
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curre ...
: Led by
Günther Platter Günther Platter is an Austrian politician (ÖVP) and is the current governor of Tyrol after his predecessor Herwig van Staa. Before becoming governor, Platter served as interior minister and as Minister of Defence A defence minister or minist ...
, Governor (since 2008); In power since 1945 ***
2018 Tyrolean state election The 2018 Tyrolean state election was held on 25 February 2018 to elect the members of the Landtag of Tyrol. The conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) placed first with 44.3% of votes, a 4.9 percentage point swing. The centre-left Social Dem ...
: TVP 44.26% ***
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: ÖVP 42.6% *** 2019 Austrian legislative election: ÖVP 45.8% ** ***
Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...
: Led by
Michael Ludwig Michael Ludwig (born 3 April 1961) is an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ). Since May 2018, he has been Mayor and Governor of Vienna, the capital and largest city of Austria. Since January 2018, he has also served as cha ...
,
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
(since 2018); In power since 1945 *** State election, 2015: SPÖ 39.59% *** 2019 Austrian legislative election: SPÖ 27.1% ***
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: SPÖ 30.3% ** ***
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curre ...
: Led by Markus Wallner, Governor (since 2011); In power since 1945 ***
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: ÖVP 34.6% *** 2019 Austrian legislative election: ÖVP 36.6% *** State election, 2019: VVP 43.53% ** ***
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curre ...
: Led by Thomas Stelzer, Governor (since 2017); In power since 1945 *** State election, 2015: OÖVP 36.37% *** 2019 Austrian legislative election: ÖVP 36.8% ***
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: ÖVP 35.1% * ** ***
Christian Social Union in Bavaria The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (German: , CSU) is a Christian-democratic and conservative political party in Germany. Having a regionalist identity, the CSU operates only in Bavaria while its larger counterpart, the Christian Democratic ...
(CSU): Led by
Markus Söder Markus Thomas Theodor Söder (born 5 January 1967) is a German politician serving as Minister-President of Bavaria since 2018 and Leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) since 2019. Background, education and military service Söde ...
,
Minister-President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...
(since 2018); In power since 1946, with a sole hiatus from 1954 to 1957. From 1966 to 2003 and 2013 to 2018, CSU ruled with an absolute majority. Its share of votes peaked in 1974 at 62%. From 2003 to 2008, CSU held a two-thirds supermajority in the Bavarian Landtag. Since the 2010s, the CSU's dominance has somewhat eroded (31.7% in the
2021 German federal election Federal elections were held in Germany on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of the 20th Bundestag. State elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were also held. Incumbent chancellor Angela Merkel, first elected in 2005, chose not ...
; 37.2% in the
2018 Bavarian state election The 2018 Bavarian state election took place on 14 October 2018 to elect the 180 members of the 18th Landtag of Bavaria. The outgoing government was a majority of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), led by Minister President Markus Söder. ...
), but it is still considered impossible to form a government led by another party in Bavaria. ** *** Christian Democratic Union (CDU): In power since the establishment of the state in 1990. CDU ruled with an absolute majority until 2004, and even a two-thirds supermajority in the Landtag from 1994 to 2004. Its popularity peaked at 56.9% in the 1999 election. In the 2010s, CDU's dominance eroded significantly. In the
2017 German federal election Federal elections were held in Germany on 24 September 2017 to elect the members of the 19th Bundestag. At stake were at least 598 seats in the Bundestag, as well as 111 overhang and leveling seats determined thereafter. The Christian Democr ...
, Saxony's CDU came in second place for the first time in the history of the state, reaching 26.9%, behind the far-right Alternative für Deutschland. Due to the irreconcilability of left-wing and right-wing opposition parties, it is still considered impossible to form a state government led by another party than CDU. * ** Fidesz–KDNP: In power since 2010 (won in the European Parliament election, 2009: 14 of 22 of seats for Hungary) ** Led by
Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian politician who has served as prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has presided over Fidesz since 1993, with a brief break between ...
,
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
(since 2010) **
2022 Hungarian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 3 April 2022 to elect the National Assembly, coinciding with a referendum. Hungary's incumbent prime minister Viktor Orbán declared victory on Sunday night, with partial results showing his Fidesz ...
: 54.13% and qualified majority, 135 of 199 seats **
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: 52.56% and 13 of 21 of seats for Hungary * ** *** Democratic Party: In power since 2007 *** Regional election, 2020: PD 34.7% and 23 of 50 seats ***
European Parliament election, 2019 The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
: PD 31.2% *** Chamber of Deputies, 2022: PD 28.1% ** ***
Centre-right coalition The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...
: In power since 1994; Came in second place in Lombardy to the Democratic Party in the European Parliament election, 2014: FI+LN+FdI 34.3% *** Regional election, 2018: CDX 51.23% and won 49 of 80 seats *** Presidential election, 2018: Attilio Fontana 49.7% *** Chamber of Deputies election, 2018: CDX 46.9% *** Senate election, 2018: CDX 47.2% ** *** Democratic Party: In power since 2007 *** Regional election, 2015: PD 48.1% and 25 of 41 seats *** European Parliament election, 2014: PD 52.5% *** Chamber of Deputies election, 2018: PD 29.6% *** Senate election, 2018: PD 30.5% ** *** South Tyrolean People's Party: In power since 1948 (The German Association dominated from 1921 and before that it was part of Tyrol) ***
1924 Italian general election General elections were held in Italy on 6 April 1924 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1047 They were held under the Acerbo Law, which stated that th ...
: German Association, part of
Lists of Slavs and Germans The Lists of Slavs and Germans ( it, Liste di Slavi e Tedeschi) was the collective name given to the political parties representing Slovene and German minorities in northern Italy between World War I and the Fascist regime. Most Slovene-speak ...
80% *** Provincial elections, 2013: SVP 45.7% and 17 of 35 seats *** European Parliament election, 2014: SVP 48.0% *** Chamber of Deputies election, 2018: SVP 48.8% *** Senate election, 2018: SVP 49.8% ** ***
Centre-right coalition The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...
: In power since 1994 *** Came in second place in Veneto to the Democratic Party in the European Parliament election, 2014: FI+LN+FdI 33.2% *** Regional election, 2015: CDX 52.2% and won 29 of 51 seats *** Presidential election, 2015: Luca Zaia 50.1% *** Chamber of Deputies election, 2018: CDX 48.1% *** Senate election, 2018: CDX 48.2% * ** *** Self-declared state ***
Obnovlenie Obnovlenie (russian: Обновление, lit=Renewal), officially the Republican Party "Obnovlenie",, , uk, Республіканська партія «Оновлення» is a political party in the unrecognized state of Transnistria ...
: In power since 2005 *** Parliamentary election, 2020: Renewal 27.79% and 29 of 33 seats *** Presidential election, 2016:
Vadim Krasnoselsky Vadim Nikolaevich Krasnoselsky (russian: Вади́м Никола́евич Красносе́льский; ro, Vadim Nicolaevici Crasnoselschii; born 14 April 1970) is a Transnistrian politician who is the 3rd and current President of Trans ...
, as independent candidate, 59.16% * ( Poland A and B) **
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński. It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct s ...
: Dominates in Southeast Poland, controls the
Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by ...
,
Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
(since 2015), and
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...
**
Civic Platform Civic Platform ( pl, Platforma Obywatelska, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a political party in Poland. It is currently led by Donald Tusk. It ...
: Dominates in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
and Northwest Poland * **
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...
: In power since 1995 with exception between 2002 to 2005 and 2011 to 2015 ** : the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...
has dominated political life in the
autonomous region An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy� ...
of
Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
since the first regional elections, in 1976. Alberto João Jardim served as President of the Regional Government uninterruptedly from 1978 to 2015. *** Local elections, 2013: SDP 34.81% *** European Parliament election, 2014 (in Madeira): SDP 31.0% *** Regional election, 2015: SDP 48.56% and 25 of 47 seats ***
2015 Portuguese legislative election The 2015 Portuguese legislative election was held on 4 October. All 230 seats of the Assembly of the Republic were in contention. The right-wing coalition Portugal Ahead (PàF), composed of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the People's P ...
(in Madeira): SDP 37.8% and 3 of 6 seats * ** The Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party (PDCS) have always had a plurality of seats in the
Grand and General Council The Grand and General Council ( it, Consiglio Grande e Generale) is the parliament of San Marino. The council has 60 members elected for a five-year term. History From the fifth century San Marino was ruled by an assembly composed by all t ...
since 1951, However it has not consistently formed the government. From 2016 to 2020 it was in opposition. The predecessor of the PDCS the Sammarinese People's Party was already biggest party in
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
. ** General election, 2019. PDCS 33.35% * **
Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска напредна странка, Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) has been the ruling political party of Serbia since 2012. Founded by Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić in 2008 as a s ...
: In power since 2012 ** Led by
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Вучић, ; born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017, and as the president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) since 2012. Vučić serve ...
, two-term
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
(2014–2017) and
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
(2017–present) ** Parliamentary election, 2020: SNS 60.65% and 188 of 250 seats ** 2020 Vojvodina provincial election: SNS 61.58% and 76 of 120 ** Presidential election, 2017:
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Вучић, ; born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017, and as the president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) since 2012. Vučić serve ...
, 55.06% * ** ***
Basque Nationalist Party The Basque Nationalist Party (, EAJ ; es, Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV; french: Parti Nationaliste Basque, PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially Basque National Party in English,) was rejected by party members in November 2011. Nonetheless, the party did ...
, in power in the
Basque Government The Basque Government ( eu, Eusko Jaurlaritza, es, Gobierno Vasco) is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of the Basque government is known as the ''Lehendakari''. The Lehendakari is appointed by the Basque P ...
from 1979 to 2009, and again since 2012. *** Basque election, 2020: PNV 38.7%, 31 of 75 seats. *** Spanish Parliament election, November 2019: PNV 32.0%, 6 of 18 seats. ** ***
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...
, in power in the Castilian-Manchegan Government from 1982 to 2011, and again since 2015. *** Castilian-Manchegan election, 2019: PSOE 44.1%, 19 of 33 seats. *** Spanish Parliament election, November 2019: PSOE 33.1%, 9 of 21 seats. ** *** People's Party, in power in the Castile and León Government continuously since 1987. *** Castilian-Leonese election, 2022: PP 31.4%, 31 of 81 seats. *** Spanish Parliament election, November 2019: PP 31.6%, 13 of 31 seats. ** *** People's Party, in power in the
Government of the Community of Madrid The Government of the Community of Madrid ( Spanish: ''Gobierno de la Comunidad de Madrid'') is the collegiate body charged with the executive and administrative functions of the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain. Until the 1998 reform of the ...
continuously since 1995. *** Madrilenian election, 2021: PP 44.8%, 65 of 136 seats. *** Spanish Parliament election, November 2019: PP 26.9%, 10 of 37 seats. ** ***
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...
, in power in the Extremaduran Government from 1983 to 2011, and again since 2015. *** Extremaduran election, 2019: PSOE 46.8%, 34 of 65 seats. *** Spanish Parliament election, November 2019: PSOE 38.3%, 5 of 10 seats. ** *** People's Party, in power in the Galician Government from 1982 to 1987, from 1990 to 2005, and again since 2009. *** Galician election, 2020: PP 47.6%, 41 of 75 seats. *** Spanish Parliament election, November 2019: PP 31.9%, 10 of 23 seats. * : ***
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
*** Governing party in the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
for most of the 20th century and in government since
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. ** : ***
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from th ...
*** Has been the largest party in the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...
since
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
. It has also won the majority of seats to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
in Scotland in every election since
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
. ** : ***
Welsh Labour Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...
*** Has won the majority of seats to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
in Wales in every election since
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
. It has also been the largest party in the
Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gov ...
(formerly known as the National Assembly for Wales, until 2020) since its inception in
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
.


Formerly dominant parties


North America

*: **: The Social Credit Party held power for all but 3 years between 1952 and 1991, winning 11 of the 12 elections held during this 39-year period. In 1991 the party was defeated by the centre-left
BC NDP The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. As of 2017, it governs the province. It is the British Columbia provincial arm of the federal New Democrati ...
and its role as the province's main centre-right vehicle was inherited by the BC Liberals who themselves governed from 2001-2017 before also being defeated by the NDP. **: has been home to two lengthy conservative dynasties, that of the
Social Credit Party of Alberta Alberta Social Credit was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on social credit monetary policy put forward by Clifford Hugh Douglas and on conservative Christian social values. The Canadian social credit movemen ...
which governed from 1935-1971 and the
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (often referred to colloquially as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party f ...
which governed from 1971-2015. In 2015 the Alberta Tories were defeated by the left-leaning
Alberta NDP The Alberta New Democratic Party (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Alberta), commonly shortened to Alberta's NDP, is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada. It is the provincial Alberta affiliate of the federal New Democr ...
in a seismic electoral upset. In turn, the province's first (and so far only) NDP government was defeated by the newly formed United Conservative Party of Alberta in 2019. **: The
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s. The p ...
(NDP) and its predecessor the Cooperation Commonwealth Federation (CCF) won 12 out of 16 elections between 1944-2007. Today, the Saskatchewan NDP is the province's only opposition party with legislative representation. **: The
Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The party is the provincial branch, and affiliate of the federal Liberal Party of Canada. It has served as the Government ...
held power from confederation in 1949 until
Joey Smallwood Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of ...
's resignation as Premier in 1972 during the hung Parliament created by the 1971 Newfoundland general election. **: The Nova Scotia Liberal Party, in the Province of
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, held office in an unbroken period from 1882 to 1925. During the period from 1867 to 1956, the party was in power for 76 of 89 years, most of that time with fewer than 5 opposition members. **: Ontario's party system was once a dominant party system, with the
Liberal Party of Ontario The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022. The party esp ...
being the only political party to form government from 1871 to 1905; and having won the majority of the seats available in all twelve elections from 1871 to 1902. The turn of the 20th century saw a shift in party dominance from the Liberal Party of Ontario to the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...
, with the latter winning 22 of the 28 elections held in the 20th century. From 1943 to 1985, the Progressive Conservatives won 13 consecutive elections, forming the provincial government for 42 years. Known as the 'Big Blue Machine,' the Progressive Conservative government was known for having
Red Tory A Red Tory is an adherent of a centre to centre-right or paternalistic-conservative political philosophy derived from the Tory tradition, most predominantly in Canada but also in the United Kingdom and Australia. This philosophy tends to fa ...
leanings particularly under Premiers
Leslie Frost Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...
,
John Robarts John Parmenter Robarts (January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th premier of Ontario from 1961 to 1971. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Early life Robar ...
and
Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Peel in the 1959 provincia ...
. Although the Progressive Conservatives won the most seats in the 1985 election, the party was unable to form government for the first time in 42 years, with the Liberal Party forming a
minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in t ...
with a
confidence and supply In a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply are required for a ruling cabinet to retain power in the lower house. A confidence-and-supply agreement is one whereby a party or independent members of par ...
arrangement with the
Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...
. The 42 year PC dynasty was followed by a decade of political upheavel in which the Liberals were defeated by the NDP in
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
which in turn was defeated by the PC Party in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
. **: The Union Nationale, in the Province of
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
, held office uninterrupted from 1944 until 1960 with Quiet revolution. And nearly with the
Quebec Liberal Party The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP; french: Parti libéral du Québec, PLQ) is a provincial political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955. The QLP has always been associated with the colour red; ...
throughout province's political history with start from 1897 to 1935, then a second time in 1985 and 1989, and lastly third time in 2003 to 2018 with a short interruption of 2 years when the Parti Québécois won a minority government from 2012 to 2014. *: **The
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...
(PRI) and its predecessors ( Partido Laborista Mexicano (PLM) (1920–1928), Partido Nacional Revolucionario (PNR) (1929–1938) and Partido de la Revolución Mexicana (PRM) (1938–1946)) in Mexico held the
presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by ...
from
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
to
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
. The party governed all states until 1989 and controlled both chambers of
congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
until 1997. As of 2022, the PRI has continued an uninterrupted hold of the governorship in three states:
Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
, Hidalgo and the
State of Mexico The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...
. **The
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
, later known as the National Porfirist Party, ruled consistently from 1867 to 1911. *: ** During the "
Era of Good Feelings The Era of Good Feelings marked a period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the War of 1812. The era saw the collapse of the Fed ...
," the
Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
dominated national politics with no effective opposition from the
Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. Defeated by the Jeffersonian Repu ...
or any third parties, allowing
James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...
to run unopposed in the 1820 presidential election. This dominance continued until the rise of the American Whig Party circa 1830. ** From 1933 to 1995, the Democratic Party held a majority in both Houses of Congress except 1947 to 1949, 1953 to 1955 which Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress and 1981 to 1987 which Republicans controlled the Senate. **
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
: *** had mostly Republican governors from 1857 to 1997 (140 years) – Republicans held the governorship for all but 15 years (were only twice out of office for more than two consecutive years) *** had only Republican governors from 1855 to 1963 (108 years) ** Southern United States: *** Until the 1990s, the South (usually defined as coextensive with the former Confederacy) was known as the "
Solid South The Solid South or Southern bloc was the electoral voting bloc of the states of the Southern United States for issues that were regarded as particularly important to the interests of Democrats in those states. The Southern bloc existed especial ...
" due to its states' reliable support of the Democratic Party, which at that time had a strong conservative wing. Several states had an unbroken succession of Democratic governors from half a century to over a century. ****, 1874–1987 (113 years) ****, 1874–1967 (93 years) ****, 1877–1967 (90 years) ****
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, 1872–2003 (131 years) ****, 1877–1980 (103 years) ****, 1876–1992 (116 years) ****, 1901–1973 (72 years) ****, 1907–1963 (56 years) ****, 1876–1975 (99 years) ****, 1923–1971 (48 years) ****, 1874–1979 (105 years) ****, 1869–1970 (101 years)


Caribbean and Central America

*: The
Antigua Labour Party The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. The current leader of the party is Gaston Browne, who serves as the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. The party had previously been led by Lester Bird ...
in Antigua and Barbuda, 1960–1971 and 1976–2004. They are currently ruling, but may not be yet considered dominant. *: The
Barbados Labour Party The Barbados Labour Party (BLP), colloquially known as the "Bees", is a social democratic political party in Barbados established in 1938. Led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, it is the governing party of Barbados and the sole ruling party ...
in the
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...
from 1994 to 2008.They are currently ruling, but may not be yet considered dominant. The Democratic Labour Party from 1961 to 1976. *: The
Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party ( abbreviated PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. Philip Davis is the leader of the party. History The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton T ...
in the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...
from 1967 to 1992 *: The
United Bermuda Party The United Bermuda Party (UBP) was a political party in Bermuda, which represented itself as centrist party with a moderate social and fiscal agenda. The party held power in Bermuda's House of Assembly continuously from 1968 to 1998, the 47-yea ...
in
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
from 1968 to 1998. *: **The
National Republican Party The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...
ruled Costa Rica between 1932 and 1948. **The National Liberation Party is often referred as the hegemonic or dominant party between 1953 and 1983 as it won most elections, it held the majority in the Legislative Assembly between 1953 and 1978, held consecutive governments several times and was only defeated in
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
,
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...
and
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...
thanks to the entire right-wing opposition nominating a common candidate in coalition. Only after 1983 with the merge of the Unity Coalition into the Social Christian Unity Party Costa Rica started its
two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...
. ** Non-Partisan Liberals dominated Costa Rican presidency from 1846 to 1868. *: The Blue Party from 1879 to 1899. The
Dominican Liberation Party The Dominican Liberation Party ( Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, referred to here by its Spanish acronym, the PLD) is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1973 by former president Juan Bosch, the party, along ...
from 2004 to 2020. *:
ARENA An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...
hold the presidency from 1989 to 2009. *: The
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
in Guatemala from 1851 and 1871. The
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
in Guatemala from 1871 and 1920, 1921 and 1926, 1931 and 1944. *: National Party governs from 1933 to 1956, from 2010 to 2022. *: **The Partido Liberal Nacionalista of the
Somoza family The Somoza family ( es, Familia Somoza) is a former political family that ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship was founded by Anastasio Somoza García and was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza ...
held effective control from the 1930s to 1979. It was never the sole legal party, but elections were often fraught with accusations of fraud and improbable results. **
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
ruled from 1857 to 1893 *: The Popular Democratic Party in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
from 1949 to 1969. *:
People's National Movement The People's National Movement (PNM) is the longest-serving and oldest active political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party has dominated national and local politics for much of Trinidad and Tobago's history, contesting all elections sinc ...
ruled from 1956 to 1986.


South America

*: **The
National Autonomist Party The National Autonomist Party ( es, Partido Autonomista Nacional; PAN) was the ruling political party of Argentina from 1874 to 1916. In 1880, Julio Argentino Roca assumed the presidency under the motto "peace and administration". History The ...
(PAN) of
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
from 1874 to 1916. **The
Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. Defeated by the Jeffersonian Repu ...
from 1829 to 1852. ***: The conservative Liberal Democratic Party ruled the province between 1922 and 1943. *:
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
ruled from 1899 to 1920. The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR) in
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
from 1952 to 1964. *: The National Renewal Alliance Party (ARENA) in Brazil from 1965 to 1979 *: From 1829 to 1871, a successive number of parties (Pelucones to Conservative Party (Chile), Conservative to National Party (Chile, 1857), National Party) governed Chile. From 1990 to 2010 the Concertación Coalition hold presidency. *: The Colombian Liberal Party, Liberal Party of Colombia from 1861 to 1886, and later on from 1886 to 1900 as the brief successor party National Party (Colombia), National Party, and Colombian Conservative Party from 1900 to 1930 *: Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party ruled from 1895 to 1925. PAIS Alliance ruled from 2007 to 2021. *: The People's National Congress (Guyana), People's National Congress from 1964 to 1992. The People's Progressive Party (Guyana), People's Progressive Party from 1992 to 2015. *: The Colorado Party (Paraguay), Colorado Party of Paraguay, 1880–1904 and 1948–2008. They were the sole legal party from 1947 to 1962. Liberal Party (Paraguay), Liberal Party from 1912 to 1936 *: The Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party of Uruguay, between 1865 and 1959 *: Conservative Party (Venezuela), Conservative Party ruled from 1830 to 1851. Fifth Republic Movement ruled from 1999 until its merging with the newly created United Socialist Party of Venezuela in 2007, which has been the ruling party since then.


Europe

* : The Republican Party of Armenia controlled the country from 1999 until 2018, when it lost all of its seats in parliament after the 2018 Armenian revolution and the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election, 2018 parliamentary election. *: The
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curre ...
ruled as the dominant governing coalition leader from 1945 to 1970, and the
Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...
, under a similar arrangement, from 1970 to 2000. **: The List of ministers-president of Austria, Cisleithania Minister-Presidency was dominated by the Constitutional Party (Austria), Constitutional Party from 1871 to 1893. ***: The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (predecessor of the SPÖ, in power since 1945), dominated Vienna between 1911 and 1934. ***: The Christian Social Party (Austria), Christian Social Party (predecessor of the ÖVP, in power since 1945), dominated Lower Austria between 1907 and 1934. ***: The Christian Social Party (Austria), Christian Social Party (predecessor of the ÖVP), dominated Upper Austria between 1907 and 1934. ***: The Christian Social Party (Austria), Christian Social Party (predecessor of the ÖVP), dominated Vorarlberg between 1907 and 1934. ***: The Christian Social Party (Austria), Christian Social Party (predecessor of the ÖVP), dominated Tyrol between 1907 and 1934. ***: The Salzburger Volkspartei, the ÖVP and their predecessors dominated Salzburg between 1919 and 2004. ***: The Steirische Volkspartei, the ÖVP and their predecessors dominated Styria between 1907 and 2005. *: The Catholic Party (Belgium), Catholic Party sent Prime Ministers from 1884 to 1937. The Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams, Catholic People's Party sent Prime Ministers from 1979 to 1999. **: The Christian Social Party (Belgium, defunct), Christian Social Party and the Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams dominated Flanders from at least 1968 to 1999. *: GERB was the ruling party from 2009 to 2021 (with an exception from 2013 to 2014). It is the biggest Bulgarian party. *: The Croatian Democratic Union was in power from the first multi-party elections in 1990 Croatian parliamentary election, 1990, when Croatia was still a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia, until it lost the 2000 Croatian parliamentary election, parliamentary and 2000 Croatian presidential election, presidential elections in 2000. For most of the 1990s, the party had an absolute majority in both the Parliament of Croatia, Chamber of Representatives and the Parliament of Croatia, Chamber of Counties, while its chairman, Franjo Tuđman, was President of Croatia under a ''de facto'' superpresidential system of government until his death in 1999. *: The National Landowners (Denmark), National Landowners, and later the Højre, ruled Denmark from 1874 to 1901. *: The Agrarian League, later the Centre Party (Finland), Centre Party, dominated the Presidency under Urho Kekkonen from 1956 to 1982. *: During the tenure of Napoleon III (first as president 1848 to 1852 then as Emperor from 1852 to 1870), the Bonapartism, Bonapartists were a loose ruling political organization. Since the Fifth Republic, the main presidential parties, Les Républicains (centre-right) or the Parti Socialiste (France), Parti Socialiste (centre-left), were the biggest parties in every presidential election, until both parties lost dominance in France since 2017, as centrist politician Emmanuel Macron of En Marche became president, with French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen as the main opponent. Both parties have taken dominance since the 2017 French presidential election. *: The Union of Citizens of Georgia was the dominant political force from its establishment in 1995 to its dissolution and overthrow in 2003 in the Rose Revolution, during which the party's leader and President, Eduard Shevardnadze, was ousted. *: The Christian Democratic Union ruled West Germany and later a unified Germany from its establishment in 1949 to 1969, and again from 1982 to 1998 and from 2005 to 2021. **: The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ruled from 1953 to 2011 and was the biggest party until 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election, 2016 (except in Württemberg-Baden for 1950–1952), but is still the biggest party at the German federal elections and European Parliament elections. In the predecessor state of Baden, the Centre Party was the biggest party during the Weimar era until 1930. **: The Bavarian Patriot Party (until 1887), the Centre Party (Germany), Centre Party (until 1918) and the Bavarian People's Party were the biggest parties in the Bavarian Landtag from 1869 to 1933 and ruled from 1920 to 1933. ** ''(not part of Germany at the time)'': The Centre Party (Germany), Centre Party won every Landesrat election from 1922 to 1935. ** ''(not part of Germany at the time)'': The Saarland Christian People's Party held the majority from 1947 to 1955, which was broken by the similar CDU in 1955. **: The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ruled from the return of the Saar to (West) Germany in 1959 to 1980. In the Landtag elections, the CDU reached between 36.6% in 1955 and 49.1% in 1975; the CDU also dominated federal elections (except in 1972), and in the 1979 European Parliament election, the CDU/CSU won 46.4%. **: From the establishment of the state, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany ruled without interruption until 2014, with an absolute majority from 1999 to 2009. Since 2014, it has been in opposition. * **: The Deák Party (which merged with the Left Centre to form the Liberal Party (Hungary), Liberal Party in 1875) ruled Hungary from 1867 to 1905, and the National Party of Work between 1910 and 1918. **: The Unity Party (Hungary), Unity Party and the Party of National Unity (Hungary), Party of National Unity (renamed Party of Hungarian Life in 1939) governed the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–46), Kingdom of Hungary from 1922 to 1944. **: After the elected Prime Minister Ferenc Nagy was forced into exile in May 1947, the Hungarian Communist Party became the Hungary's ''de facto'' ruling party until formally declaring the country to be a Hungarian People's Republic, single-party state in August 1949. *: Ireland's Fianna Fáil was the largest party in Dáil Éireann between 1932 and 2011 and in power for 61 of those 79 years. However, the party were heavily defeated in the 2011 Irish general election, coming third. *: Italy's Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy dominated Politics of Italy, Italian politics for almost 50 years as the major party in every coalition that governed the country from 1944 until its demise amid Mani pulite, a welter of corruption allegations in 1992–1994. The main opposition to the Christian democratic governments was the Italian Communist Party. ** Emilia-Romagna: The Italian Socialist Party dominated the region from 1909 until the rise of Fascism. ** Emilia-Romagna: The Italian Communist Party dominated the region from 1946 until 1991. ** Emilia-Romagna: The Democratic Party of the Left dominated the region from 1991 until 1998. ** Emilia-Romagna: The Democrats of the Left dominated the region from 1998 until 2007. ** Tuscany: The Italian Communist Party dominated the region from 1946 until 1953, and then from 1963 until 1991. ** Tuscany: The Democratic Party of the Left dominated the region from 1991 until 1998. ** Tuscany: The Democrats of the Left dominated the region from 1998 until 2007. *: The Progressive Citizens' Party governed from 1928 to 1970. * : The Christian Social People's Party (CSV), with its predecessor, Party of the Right (Luxembourg), Party of the Right, governed Luxembourg continuously from 1915 to 2013, except for 1974–1979. However, Luxembourg has a coalition system, and the CSV has been in coalition with at least one of the other two leading parties for all but four years. It has always won a plurality of seats in parliamentary elections, although it lost the popular vote 1964 Luxembourgian legislative election, in 1964 and 1974 Luxembourgian legislative election, 1974. * : The Nationalist Party (Malta), Nationalist Party dominated the Maltese political scene from 1998 Maltese general election, 1988 to 2013, when the Labour Party (Malta), Labour Party won the government in the 2013 2013 Maltese general election, general election. *: Rally & Issues governed the National Assembly from 1962 to 2003. * : The Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro, Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) ruled Montenegro from 1990 to 2020, having been defeated in the 2020 Montenegrin parliamentary election, 2020 election. *: The Norwegian Labour Party ruled from 1935 to 1965 (including the 5 years of Nygaardsvold's Cabinet, Government-in-exile during World War II), though it has been the biggest party in Norway since 1927 and has been in power many other times. *: **The Portuguese Republican Party, during most of the Portuguese First Republic's existence (1910–1926): After the coup that put an end to Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal's constitutional monarchy in 1910, the electoral system, which had always ensured victory to the party in government, was left unchanged. Before 1910, it had been the Portuguese monarchy, reigning monarch's responsibility to ensure that no one party remain too long in government, usually by disbanding Parliament and calling for new elections. The republic's constitution added no such proviso, and the Portuguese Republican Party was able to keep the other minor republican parties (monarchic parties had been declared illegal) from winning elections. On the rare occasions when it was ousted from power, it was overthrown by force, and it was again by the means of a counter-coup that it returned to power, until its final fall, with the republic itself, in 1926. **As a Semi-presidential system, semi-presidential republic, Portugal's President of Portugal, President has significant residual power. From 1986 to 2006, the Presidency was in the hand of the Socialist Party (Portugal), Socialist Party; since 2006, the Presidents were members of the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...
. * **: The PSOE-A party (the Andalusian branch of nationwide PSOE) was the ruling party in the Andalusian Autonomous Government continuously between 1978 and 2019, being also the most voted party in all elections for the Parliament of Andalusia during that interval, except one (2012 Andalusian regional election, 2012). After the 2018 Andalusian regional election, 2018 Andalusian election, a right-to-centre coalition led by the People's Party entered office, and in 2022 Andalusian regional election, 2022 the People's Party achieved an absolute majority. **: The Convergence and Union coalition (federated political party after 2001) in Catalonia governed the Generalitat of Catalonia, autonomous Catalan government from 1980 to 2003, under the leadership of Jordi Pujol, with parliamentary absolute majority or in coalition with other smaller parties. The party later governed again from 2010 until its dissolution in 2015. **: The People's Party of the Valencian Community (the Valencian branch of nationwide People's Party) was the ruling party in the Generalitat Valenciana, Valencian Autonomous Government between 1995 and 2015, being the most voted party in all elections for the Valencian Parliament during that interval. After the 2015 Valencian regional election, 2015 Valencian elections, a left-to-centre coalition entered office. *: From 1848 to 1891, the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, Free Democratic Party held all seven seats of the Federal Council (Switzerland), Federal Council, thus having full control of the Swiss Directorial Government. *: The Swedish Social Democratic Party in Sweden governed from 1932 to 2006, except for some months in 1936 (1936–1939 and 1951–1957 in coalition with the Centre Party (Sweden), Farmers' League, 1939–1945 at the head of a government of national unity), 1976–1982 and 1991–1994. The party is still the largest party in Sweden and has been so in every general election since 1917 (hence the largest party even before the universal suffrage was introduced in 1921). The former Prime Minister and party leader Tage Erlander led the Swedish government for an uninterrupted tenure of 23 years (1946–1969), the longest in any democracy so far. Since 2006, the party support has declined, but in 2014, it returned to government, although its centre-left coalition has no majority. *: In Turkey's single-party period lasting until 1945, the Republican People's Party (CHP) was the major political organisation of the single-party state. However, the CHP faced two opposition parties during this period, both established upon the request of the founder of the Republic of Turkey and CHP leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in efforts to allegedly jump-start multiparty democracy in Turkey. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (Turkey), Peoples' Democratic Party was the dominant party in the mainly Kurdish southeast from 1991 until the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt which resulted in 2016–present purges in Turkey, massive purges and the takeover of municipalities by the state. The landslide election victories of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice and Development Party led to the party gaining majority in parliament between 2002 and 2018. Since the 2018 Turkish parliamentary election, 2018 parliamentary election, the party has minority in the parliament and is in a coalition. *: **The Conservative Party (UK), Conservative and Unionist Party, currently in government since 2010, previously held sole power or as the largest coalition partner from 1916 to 1923, from 1924 to 1929, from 1931 to 1945, from 1951 to 1964, from 1970 to 1974, and from 1979 to 1997. ***Its predecessor, the Tories (British political party), Tories, governed from 1783 to 1806, and 1807 to 1830. **The Whigs (British political party), Whigs dominated the Kingdom of Great Britain's politics from 1714 to 1762 during the Whig supremacy. **: Scottish Labour won every election to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
in Scotland from 1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 to
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, where it was heavily defeated and reduced to 1 seat. It controlled the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...
from its inception in 1999 Scottish Parliament election, 1999 until the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, 2007 election where it lost to the Scottish National Party, SNP. **: The
Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...
won every election between 1921 and 1972 in the Parliament of Northern Ireland, former devolved administration of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
. *: The League of Communists of Yugoslavia governed the country from 1944/1945 until the party's dissolution in 1990. *: The Socialist Party of Serbia controlled the country from 1992 to 2000.


Asia

*: In Bangladesh, the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
was the country's predominant political party between 1972 and 1975 and from 2009 to present. After the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, military coup of 1975, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) became the dominant political force between 1977 and 1982. Under the autocratic regime of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, the Jatiya Party (Ershad), Jatiya Party was the dominant party between 1986 and 1990. Currently, Bangladesh Awami League again has become the dominant political force since 2008. *: The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League in Burma (now Myanmar) from 1948 to 1962. The Union Solidarity and Development Party from 2011 to 2016 (as a State Peace and Development Council, military junta from 1988 to 2011). *: The Democratic Party (Cambodia), Democratic Party was the dominant party in Cambodia from 1946 to 1955, The Sangkum in Cambodia was the dominant party under Prince Norodom Sihanouk as head of government from 1955 to 1970. Under the Khmer Republic the Social Republican Party was the dominant party under General Lon Nol from 1972 to 1975. *: The Kuomintang established a ''de facto'' one-party state in the Taiwan, Republic of China on the mainland and subsequently on Taiwan until political liberalization and the lifting of martial law in the late 1980s. The Kuomintang continued to dominate the political system until the victory of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in the 2000 Republic of China presidential election, 2000 presidential election. Kuomintang maintained control of the Legislative Yuan until 2016. *: The
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
had continuously ruled the parliament of India and various State Legislature, state legislatures since independence in 1947 to 1977. **West Bengal: The Left Front (West Bengal), Left Front, comprising parties such as the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (India), Revolutionary Socialist Party had ruled the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, state legislature of West Bengal for 34 years (winning election for seven consecutive times from 1977 to 2011). *: The Golkar (acronym of ''Golongan Karya'' or Functional Groups) organization, in power from 1971 to 1999 in support for Suharto, President Suharto. *: The Iran Novin Party dominated Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly, parliament, Cabinet of Iran, cabinet, and local councils from 1964 until Iran became a one-party state in 1975. *: Mapai in Israel was the dominant party from the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 (and before 1944 they won the Assembly of Representatives (Mandatory Palestine), Assembly of Representatives since 1925) until merging into present-day Israeli Labor Party in 1968. The Labor Party started losing influence in the 1970s, particularly following the Yom Kippur War, and eventually lost power in the 1977 Israeli legislative election, 1977 election. The Labor Party continued to participate in several coalition governments until 2009. *: Conservatism in South Korea, Conservative parties: Liberal Party (South Korea) in power 1948–1960, Democratic Republican Party (South Korea) in power 1962–1980, Democratic Justice Party in power 1980–1990, Democratic Liberal Party (South Korea) in power 1990–1995, New Korea Party in power 1995–1997 and Saenuri Party in power 2008–2017. *: United National Party governed from 1977 to 1994, and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party governed from 1994 to 2015. *:
Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
(BN), in power from 1974 to 2018, defeated in 2018 Malaysian general election, 2018 election. Also in a coalition government with
Perikatan Nasional The National Alliance ( ms, Perikatan Nasional; abbrev: PN) is a political coalition composed of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). This coalition was ...
from 2020 to 2022 in the wake of 2020 Malaysian political crisis, with BN leading from 2021 to 2022. Its predecessor Perikatan also held power from 1955 to 1973. After the 2022 Malaysian general election, despite currently in a coalition government led by
Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
, BN is no longer dominant in the Malaysian politics. **: Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor Perikatan), in power from 1954 to 2018, defeated in 2018 election. Regained power in the wake of 2020 Malaysian political crisis and won the 2022 Johor state election. **: Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor Perikatan), in power from 1955 to 2008, defeated in 2008 election. Regained power in the 2013 state elections, but defeated again in the 2018 Kedah state election, 2018 election. **: Barisan Nasional, in power from 1978, when they won the 1978 Malaysian state_elections#Kelantan, 1978 state election in Kelantan and governed in a coalition with Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front, BERJASA, until 1990, when BN were defeated in 1990 Malaysian state elections#Kelantan, that year's election. **: Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor Perikatan), in power from 1955 to 2018, defeated in 2018 election. Regained power in the wake of 2020 Malaysian political crisis and won the 2021 Melaka state election. **: Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor Perikatan), in power from 1955 to 2018, defeated in 2018 election. **: Barisan Nasional, in power from 1974 to 2008 under main component party in Penang Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, Gerakan, defeated in 2008 election. Gerakan as a single party also won state election in 1969, winning it from BN predecessor Perikatan, who held power in the state from 1955. **: Barisan Nasional, in power from 1974 to 2008, defeated in 2008 election. BN regained power in 2009 as a result of 2009 Perak constitutional crisis, and won the 2013 Perak state election. BN would lose the Perak government again after defeat in the 2018 state election, but regained power in the wake of 2020 Malaysian political crisis. Its predecessor Perikatan also held power from 1955 to 1969. Currently lead a coalition government with
Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
after the 2022 Perak state election. **: Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor Perikatan), in power from 1955 to 2022, defeated in 2022 Perlis state election, 2022 election. **: Barisan Nasional, in power from 1976 to 1985 (led by component party Sabah People's United Front, BERJAYA), 1986 to 1990 (led by component party United Sabah Party, PBS), and from 1994 to 2018 (led by component party United Malay National Organization, UMNO Sabah). Currently BN is in a coalition government with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), led by Malaysian United Indigenous Party, BERSATU Sabah, after the 2020 Sabah state election. PBS also led the state government as a single party from 1985 to 1986, and as part of Gagasan Rakyat coalition from 1990 to 1994. Before BN, Alliance Party (Malaysia), Perikatan Sabah (Sabah Alliance) holds power in Sabah from its independence in 1963 to 1976. **: Barisan Nasional, in power from 1974 to 2008, defeated in 2008 election. Its predecessor Perikatan also held power from 1955 to 1969. **: Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor Perikatan), in power from 1955 to 2018, with exception to 1959-1961 and 1999-2004, when the state government was led by
Parti Islam Se-Malaysia The Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS; ms, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; ms, ڤرتي إسلام سمليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is an Islamist political party in Malaysia. As the party focused on Islamic fundamentalism, PAS's ...
(PAS). Defeated in the 2018 Terengganu state election, 2018 election. *: The National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus), National Unity Party governed from 1983 to 2005. *: The Nacionalista Party (Philippines), Nacionalista Party in the Philippines was the dominant party during various times in the nation's history from 4th Philippine Legislature, 1916–2nd National Assembly of the Philippines, 1941, and on 1st Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, 1945. From Interim Batasang Pambansa, 1978 to Regular Batasang Pambansa, 1986 Kilusang Bagong Lipunan operated as a dominant party. *: General People's Congress (Yemen), General People's Congress, In power effectively from 1982 (1982-1990 sole legal party) to 2015, ceded effective control after Houthi takeover in Yemen, Houthi takeover of Sana'a.


Africa

*: The National Liberation Front (Algeria), National Liberation Front had governed Algeria from 1962 to 1992, from 1992 to 1994 (sole legal party 1962 to 1989), and from 1999 to 2019. The current president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is affiliated with FLN, but its partisan power is significantly weakened after the 2021 Algerian legislative election, 2021 parliamentary elections. *: The Congress for Democracy and Progress from 1996 to 2014, under Blaise Compaoré, who ruled first as an independent after a coup from 1987 to 1989, then leads Organization for Popular Democracy – Labour Movement from 1989 to 1996. *: Union for National Progress (UPRONA) from 1962-1993 (from 1974 to 1992 as sole legal party). *: the Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa ruled from 1960 to 1981 (from 1962 to 1980 as sole legal party). *: Patriotic Salvation Movement (Mouvement Patriotique de Salut de SMPS) governed from 1990 to 2021. *: The National Democratic Party (Egypt), National Democratic Party (NDP) of Egypt, under various names, from 1952 to 2011 (as Arab Socialist Union (Egypt), Arab Socialist Union, sole legal party 1953–1978) *: The People's Progressive Party (The Gambia), People's Progressive Party in The Gambia from 1962 to 1994. The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction under Yahya Jammeh from 1996 to 2017, with Jammeh ruling first under a Junta after a 1994 Gambian coup d'état, coup from 1994 to 1996. *: African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) governed from 1974 to 1999 (from 1974 to 1991 as the sole legal party). *: Democratic Party of Ivory Coast – African Democratic Rally, Democratic Party of Ivory Coast governed from 1960 to 1999 (from 1960 to 1990 as the sole legal party). *: The Kenya African National Union in Kenya from 1963 to 2002 (sole legal party 1982-1991). *: True Whig Party ruled consecutively from 1878 to 1980, in a de-facto one-party state manner, though the country never explicitly banned opposition parties. *: People's Democratic Party (Nigeria), People's Democratic Party (PDP) was in power from May 29, 1999, till May 29, 2015, when the opposition party All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 2015 Nigerian presidential election, presidential election in 2015. *: The Rhodesian Front in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), under the leadership of Ian Smith, from 1965 to 1980. *: The Socialist Party of Senegal, Socialist Party in Senegal from 1960 to 2000 (sole legal party 1966-1974). *: United Seychelles Party ruled from 1977 to 2020 (from 1977 to 1991 as sole legal party). *: The All People's Congress Party ruled from 1968 to 1992 (from 1978 to 1991 as sole legal party). *: The National Party in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. *: National Congress (Sudan), National Congress from 1998 to 2019 (1998 to 2005 as sole legal party). *: The Democratic Constitutional Rally in Tunisia, 1956–2011 (as the sole legal party between 1963 and 1981). *: The Movement for Multiparty Democracy from 1991 to 2011.


Oceania

*: The Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal Party (generally in a near-permanent Coalition (Australia), Coalition with the National Party of Australia, National Party) held power federally from 1949 to 1972 and from 1975 to 1983 (31 out of 34 years). By the scheduled expiry of the 46th Parliament in 2022, the Coalition (Australia), Liberal-National Coalition will have held power for 20 out of the 26 years between 1996 and 2022. Overall from 1949 to 2022, the Liberal Party will have held power for 52 out of the last 73 years. The longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister was Robert Menzies, who served from 1939 to 1941 (2 years) as a member of the United Australia Party, and from 1949 to 1966 (16 years) as leader of the Liberal Party. **: The Country Liberal Party held power from the granting of self-government in 1978 to 2001 (23 years). **: The Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch), Labor Party held power from 1941 to 1965 (24 years), and from 1976 to 1988 and 1995 to 2011 (28 out of 35 years) – in total 52 out of 70 years from 1941 to 2011. **: The Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party held power from 1915 to 1929 and from 1932 to 1957 (39 out of 42 years). The National Party of Australia, National Party then held power from 1957 to 1989 (32 years). These were facilitated by a Labor-designed malapportionment that favoured rural districts. The National Party of Australia, National Party under Joh Bjelke-Petersen increased the malapportionment with the Bjelkemander, allowing them to rule alone without the Liberals, and used the police to suppress dissent and opposition from Labor. The National Party dominance was ended by a corruption Inquiry, Bjelke-Petersen was forced to resign in disgrace and police and politicians were charged with crimes. Since 1989, Labor has held government aside from a National Party government 1996–1998 and Liberal-National Party government 2012–2015 (27 years of Labor government out of 32 years). **: The Liberal and Country League held power from 1933 to 1965 (32 years). The Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch), Labor Party held power from 1970 to 1979, from 1982 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2018 (26 out of 38 years). **: The Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch), Labor Party held power from 1934 to 1969 and from 1972 to 1982 (45 out of 48 years), from 1989 to 1992, and from 1998 to 2014 (16 years) – in total 64 out of 80 years from 1934 to 2014. **: The National Citizens' Reform League (1902-1909), the Liberal Party (Australia, 1909), Deakinite Liberal Party (1909-1917) and the Nationalist Party (Australia), Nationalist Party (1917-1924) consecutively held power from 1902 to 1924 (22 years). The National Party of Australia – Victoria, Country Party then ruled from 1924 to 1927 (3 years), followed by the Nationalist Party from 1928 to 1929 (1 year) in a Coalition (Australia)#Victoria, coalition. The Country Party and the United Australia Party (later as the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), Liberal and Country Party) held power with and without a coalition from 1932 to 1945 (13 years) and 1947 to 1952 (5 years). The Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), Liberal Party then held power from 1955 to 1982 (27 years). In total, conservative governments ruled 71 out of 80 years from 1902 to 1982. **: The Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal Party held power from 1947 to 1983 with two one-term interruptions between 1953 and 1956 and 1971 to 1974 (30 out of 36 years). **: The Australian Labor Party, Labor Party has held power since 2001 (in coalition with the Australian Greens, Greens since 2012), previously holding government between 1989 and 1995 (24 years out of 30 years since self government). *: The New Zealand Liberal Party, Liberal Party governed from 1891 to 1912. *: The Human Rights Protection Party governed from 1982 to 2021.


See also

* Loyal opposition * Multi-party system * Party of power * Separation of powers * Soft despotism * Two-party system * Types of democracy


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dominant-Party System Political party systems Elections Political systems