ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on political parties, but it does so with an eye on the critical role played by civil society. It also takes a broader look at party systems in the region. The chapter spotlights the case of Venezuela to illustrate how changes in civil society, political parties, and party systems offer insight into the dynamics of democracy. A political party is an organization bound by common political beliefs, linked to groups in society, and designed to recruit candidates for elected positions in government. To ensure the legitimacy of the process, regime rules must reach out to society and deal with the primary actor in the electoral process—the political party. Part of the story behind party system fragmentation in Latin America rests in the related concept of party system institutionalization. Party system polarization can create an insurmountable obstacle as governments seek to craft consensus-based policies. Parties have played different roles at different times in the political history of Venezuela.
