What are the characteristics of a political party?
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote the collective good.
Parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society and involve partisanship. A party is known by which part it stands for, which policies it supports, and whose interests it upholds. Parties try to persuade people why their policies are better than others and seek to implement these policies by winning popular support through elections.
A political party has three components: the leaders, the active members, and the followers.
Explanation
The textbook defines a political party as a group that contests elections and holds power. Key characteristics include: (1) agreement on policies and programmes for collective good, (2) reflecting political divisions and partisanship, (3) being identified by the part they stand for, policies they support, and interests they uphold, and (4) having three structural components - leaders, active members, and followers.