Political Parties and Perspectives on Democracy

The International Forum of Political Foundations, titled “Political Parties and Perspectives of Democracy”, organised by the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), is a pilot cross-party initiative with the goal of bringing together different European political foundations and their partners. It aims at triggering an exchange on how to support and strengthen political parties that are committed to the promotion and defence of liberal, representative democracy, free and fair elections, independent judiciary, free media and human rights. 

The International Forum took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 May and it pursued the following objectives: analysis of current challenges for liberal democracy and the role of political parties and political foundations in view of actual threats for democratic regimes; presentation and cross-party exchange of experiences and best practices among parties and political foundations; exchange on policies and intra-party reforms in defence and resilience against democratic threats; and encouragement to build modern party structures and to make integrity a distinctive feature of party leadership.

On the first day, the Forum started with a session about “Perspectives on Democracy and the Role of Political Parties”. The panel explored the global state of democracy with the challenges and opportunities ahead and looked at the importance of building multifaceted partnerships, inclusive of both political and civil society actors. 

During this session, Denis Schrey, Programme Director at KAS Multinational Development Policy Dialogue (MDPD) and Network Coordinator at the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), highlighted that political parties are the basis of democratic rule, because they represent the people. Therefore, due to this role, they have to ensure zero tolerance to corruption.

Another participant of this panel, Sam Rainsy, Acting President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), described the different types of abuse of power in Cambodia and called for Western soft power to react to them. He said that it is important to deny legitimacy to the regime, which will stop its ability to borrow money from international organisations such as the World Bank, since it is badly used and feeds corruption in Cambodia.

Lutz Güllner, Head of Division for Strategic Communication, Task Forces and Information Analysis at the European External Action Service, said that Europe is facing waves of discontent with democracy and what it delivers. According to him, digitalisation can be used for the good of democracy, but there is also a dark side such as manipulation of information, disinformation and its commercialisation and campaigns to discredit or suppress the voices of opponents and media professionals. Therefore, it is urgent to focus not only on what people say in a democracy, but how their words are used. Another crucial aspect is societal resilience, where political parties play a huge role. For Lutz Güllner, it is mandatory to empower political parties and citizens, so they know how to deal with these challenges. State regulations are also essential. The European Parliament Committee on Foreign Interference will publish an impressive report about these issues soon. And by the end of May the European Commission will release a “defend democracy” package, tailored to the EU, but which will also influence its international work.

The second panel discussion, “Political Parties in Decline: A Threat to Democracy?”, shed light on the state of democracy through the lens of declining political participation. It explored the challenges that political parties face in terms of reduced voter turnout and the lack of civic engagement.

Dr Wilhelm Hofmeister, Fellow and Lecturer at the Düsseldorf Party Research Institute, explained that there are several reasons for distrust in parties: lack of delivery; misunderstanding of the character of politics, which frequently involves conflict and compromise; mismanagement; misconduct; and corruption. To address these challenges, parties have to show what they stand for and transmit political programmes to the people. It is also important to mobilise people and open up the parties for women. Better leadership, integrity, ethics and technical expertise are also essential.

For Dr Hofmeister, it is crucial to give parties resources to develop, since they cannot rely on membership fees. A system of public subsidies, accountability and a strong state of law to control the parties would be a good alternative. Political and civic education are another important aspect. In countries where education levels are low, democracy faces more challenges.

According to Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland, Chair Emeritus of the Council of Women World Leaders, ENoP could help parties become more transparent. There is a big chance to provide political education at a wide level, in the context of the ENoP network. The EU should also engage in supporting political parties more.

The third panel, “Intra-party Decision-Making: How to Boost Democracy Within?”, provided an insight into inner-party decision-making processes and transparency. The speakers discussed different approaches of how to improve decision-making within political parties and allow for more transparency and inclusiveness.

During this session, David Farrell, Professor of Politics at University College Dublin, gave the example of the political crisis in Ireland amidst the economic meltdown some years ago. The response was to introduce Citizens’ Assemblies for disappointed people outside of the parliament. According to David Farrell, similar debates were happening in other countries at the same time. In Farrell’s view, the crisis of democracy has also to do with the fact that there is no dialogue with and between parties, which results in less trust and fewer voters. But democracies are evolving, adapting and looking for new ways to engage, for example through Citizens’ Assemblies. Nonetheless, good examples of deliberation inside parties are still lacking.