Political system in which individuals who share a common set of political beliefs organize themselves into parties to compete in elections for the right to govern.
Single-party systems are found in countries that do not allow genuine political conflict. Multiparty and two-party systems represent means of organizing political conflict within pluralistic societies and are thus indicative of democracy. Multiparty systems allow for greater representation of minority viewpoints; since the coalitions that minority parties must often form with other minority parties to achieve a governing majority are often fragile, such systems may be marked by instability. See also electoral system .