A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A
technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used different countries, including:
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 second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
(''bloque'' and ''interbloque''),
Australia (party room);
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
(''Club'');
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
(''fractie''/''fraction''/''Fraktion'');
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
("grupo parlamentar" or, informally, "bancadas");
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
(''Fraktion'');
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
(''gruppo''),
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
(eduskuntaryhmä/''riksdagsgrupp''); the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
(''fractie'');
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
(''frakcja''),
Switzerland (''fraction''/''Fraktion''/''frazione''); and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
(''grup parlamentar'').
A political group in
Swiss Federal Assembly
The Federal Assembly (german: Bundesversammlung, french: Assemblée fédérale, it, Assemblea federale, rm, Assamblea federala), also known as the Swiss parliament (''Parlament'', ''Parlement'', ''Parlamento''), is Switzerland's federal leg ...
["swiss"/> is called a ''parliamentary group'', which differs from a parliamentary group in the UK.
]
Examples
Armenia
In Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...
, political parties often form political groups before running in elections. Prior to the 2021 Armenian parliamentary elections, four different political groups were formed. A political group must pass the 7% electoral threshold in order to gain representation in the National Assembly.
Czechia
Higher electoral thresholds for political groups discourages the formation of political groups running in elections.
European Parliament
The political groups of the European Parliament must consist of no less than 25 MEP MEP may refer to:
Organisations and politics
* Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka
* Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka
* Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...
s from seven different EU member states. No party discipline is required. Political groups gain financial support and can join committees.
Hungary
Hungarian mixed-member majoritarian representation rewards the formation of political groups, like United for Hungary
Italy
Italian parallel voting
Parallel voting is a type of mixed electoral system in which representatives are voted into a single chamber using two or more different systems, most often first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) with party-list proportional representation (PR). It ...
system rewards the formation of political groups like Centre-right coalition and Centre-left coalition
Switzerland
In the Swiss Federal Assembly
The Federal Assembly (german: Bundesversammlung, french: Assemblée fédérale, it, Assemblea federale, rm, Assamblea federala), also known as the Swiss parliament (''Parlament'', ''Parlement'', ''Parlamento''), is Switzerland's federal leg ...
at least five members are required to form a political groups, called ''parliamentary group'', distinct from parliamentary group.["swiss]
Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation Art. 154
/ref> The most important task is to delegate members to the commissions. The political groups are decisive in Swiss Federal Assembly and not the political parties, which are not mentioned in the parliamentary law.
See also
* Political organisation
References
{{Reflist
Political science
Political terminology
Political organizations