ABSTRACT
The state of public opinion provides, therefore, an important clue to the prospects for different announced parties. Political parties have traditionally been the key organizational links between the public and the politicians in democratic societies. If the republics formerly comprised by the Soviet Union are to succeed in creating democratic political orders, political parties or equivalent organizations will play a critical role in the process. Typically, political parties in modern democracies differ from other political organizations because they are organized at the local level, self-consciously endeavor to capture and hold decisionmaking power, and seek followers at the polls or in some manner strive for popular support. Parties can help integrate Citizens into the political system by channelling people's dissatisfaction into electoral competition, and by giving people a partisan identification. Sharp ethnic cleavages tend to create pressure for more numerous, more narrowly based parties.
