A political party is the institution consisting of people who share the same aim, interest and way of thinking. The political party is a stable, lasting political institution. To achieve its aims it uses political power through representatives chosen in elections. Political parties aim to channel the interests of the people in a democracy, and that is why their participation is the basis of democracy. Each political party has its own ideology which directs its political initiative: the party doctrine, programmes, etc.
Political parties as we know them today arose in the 19th century alongside the development of people’s participation and representative democracy. A campaign is run before the elections. Each party presents its political programme or manifesto to the citizens; it states what it is going to do if it comes to power. After that, the citizens vote for whichever political party they believe is the best, and then the party that wins a majority will come to power: majority rule. The parties are the intermediaries between political power and the citizens.