Political parties perform many tasks both during election campaigns and between elections. Since much of the work of policy-making, ideological changes, and candidate selection take place within the parties rather than in the public domain, it is important to look at the internal functioning of political parties. It is common to demand a certain degree of internal democracy in political parties, and even though the concept is not very well defined, some features can be identified. Accountability of party leadership, procedures for consultation with party members (and the electorate as a whole), local and regional presence, and transparent candidate selection are some building blocs for internal democracy.

Internal functioning and operations of political parties may depend to some extent on legal regulations – such as the constitution or a political party law – but is more commonly guided by internal party regulations. The internal functioning of political parties has an impact on how different needs, interests, and social demands in the society get represented in parliament.

Legal regulations regarding internal functioning may include standards for intra-party democracy, such as regulations for internal elections for leadership positions or women’s representation in the party leadership.

Internal voluntary party regulations stipulate candidate selection processes, such as primary elections that are held in some countries, or voluntary party candidate quotas, e.g. for women or ethnic minorities. Political parties select and nominate candidates for elections, support them in the elections campaign, and furnish them with all necessary equipment to stand as candidates.

Furthermore, the party structure is essential to the study of the internal functioning of political parties. It determines who has influence on the decision making process and how much influence they have.

Important to the understanding of the internal functioning of political parties is also the role of the party media.

How the members of a political party may exercise influence on the leadership and on the internal party decision-making process will be discussed in the file "The Role of Members".

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