Good governance requires vibrant political parties, pluralism, participants at OSCE meeting say

WARSAW, 18 May 2011 - Vibrant political parties and pluralism are essential for good governance and effective representation of citizens in the political process, participants said at the opening of a three-day OSCE meeting today.

“Without strong and independent parties, societies cannot ensure stability and good governance,” said Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

He added that political parties throughout the OSCE region face serious obstacles such as lack of adequate financing, weak legitimacy among citizens, unequal access to the media and restrictions on their activities.

Evaldas Ignatavičius, Deputy Foreign Minister and representative of the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship, highlighted the important role opposition parties play in the political process: “Just as parties in power should never confuse themselves with the state, likewise political disagreement should not be confused with disloyalty to the state or a monopolistic claim to represent the people. It seems self-evident, but must be repeated: the role of the opposition is to oppose - to criticize, contrast, question and offer alternatives.”

Alexandru Tanase, Judge at the Constitutional Court of Moldova and former Justice Minister, said in his keynote speech that in many countries the idea that the party of those in power counts more than other parties still echoes in minds and practices: “Too often, we have seen situations where parties, once they gain power, use the power of the state to intimidate, harass, and obstruct the work of other political parties.”

He highlighted the need for internal democracy within parties: “Parties are less and less seen as machines with bosses, oligarchs and barons, and more as transparent organizations in which individual members - and their voices and votes - carry greater weight.”

Tanase also stressed the importance of pluralist parliaments for the democratic process. “All too often, parliaments are subjected to a winner-takes-all approach, in which the ruling party, from the commanding heights of the executive uses parliament merely as a formal mechanism for approving laws.” If parliaments only “rubber-stamp” laws without proper discussion, evaluation and compromise, the quality of the law-making process suffers, he said.

The meeting will look at political parties in the light of OSCE commitments, the equal participation of women and men in political parties, and political party regulations in national legislation. One session will also be devoted to increasing citizens’ participation and representation through E-democracy.