“A healthy, resilient democracy is
based on inclusiveness, which political parties and representative institutions
are in a key position to safeguard. Yet parties are finding it harder to
sustain an atmosphere of inclusiveness, particularly as women and youth are
largely excluded from representative institutions. Younger generations are
insufficiently represented in party membership, leadership and legislatures.
Their marginalization from, and decreasing trust in, traditional party politics
is of particular concern, as young people can make or break future models of
representation.”[i]
In many countries, the relationship
between youth and political parties is strained. Many young people do not trust
political parties, while party leaders often complain that the youth are
unwilling to get involved.
Source:
The Global State of Democracy, 'Exploring Democracy's Resilience, 2017',
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Political Parties are the main
gatekeepers for candidates to participate in elections. Parties therefore have
great influence over the degree of young people’s political participation at
local, regional, and national levels. In most countries, parties determine
which candidates are nominated and elected and which issues achieve national
prominence. They decide who will be placed on their candidate lists and at
which position. Political parties’ nomination processes
have not always favored young candidates, as
they are often placed in low positions on candidates’ lists (in proportional
representation ‘closed list’ electoral systems), with very limited
possibilities to get elected. As intermediary institutions, they link the state
and civil society, translating the policy preferences of citizens into
political action. Individuals with political ambition are likely to seek out
leadership positions within political parties. Most are of these aspiring
leaders are middle-aged men.
The persistent exclusion of youth
stems from a variety of factors, including: “old-boy” networks, recruitment,
and promotion mechanisms based on seniority, a lack of individual capacities,
and limited self-confidence and motivation. Engagement in political parties
often requires long-term commitments, which is difficult for youth trying to obtain
an education and to establish themselves in the labor market. Middle-aged men
tend to have a greater powerbase, because they comprise a large percentage of
members. In some cases, youth face more than one kind of discrimination because
of their gender or because they can also belong to other marginalized groups
(i.e. indigenous people, people with disabilities, and/or be
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender).
These obstacles fuel a cycle where
youth are put off by the exclusionary nature of political parties and decide
not to join them. In turn, because they do not join, they lack the internal
powerbase to win elections and nominations. Both issues should be addressed to
break the cycle: youth should be able to develop the skills and motivation to
be successfully engaged in political parties, and parties should be encouraged
to create space for youth. Affirmative action measures such as youth and
women’s quotas and party youth wings can help move these processes forward.
Political parties could do more to encourage
youth to run for office, and could consider nominating younger candidates for
provincial/state elections and municipal elections. They could also advocate to
have the legal age to run for office these levels of political office lowered
to accommodate younger people.
[i] International Institute for Democracy
and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), The Global State of
Democracy 2017: Exploring Democracy's Resilience (International IDEA,
2017), www.idea.int/gsod, accessed August
2018
