ABSTRACT
The central issue this chapter seeks to address is the impact intraparty conflicts have on coalition bargaining and the government formation process. The focus on intra-party conflicts is mainly based on the premise that parties are not unitary actors but complex organisations comprised of many groupings (e.g. factions, tendencies, etc.), each with its own agenda. Within the party, politics is endlessly played out, with different coalitions of forces and actors striving for dominance. Politics is also part of the interaction among party bodies (e.g. Party Convention, National Executive Committee, etc.), reflecting the tensions which underlie their various inter-relationships, as well as the struggle for relative influence within the organisation. The interaction between individuals, groupings and political bodies within a political party impacts on its relationships with other parties. The choice of legislative partners, the type of inter-party commitments, the content of inter-party agreements and the timing of government formation, to mention just a few, are often divisive issues which may lead to internal conflicts. The derived dissent behaviour by dissatisfied members may threaten and destabilise coalition bargaining and the process of government formation.1
