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A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country's politics. This is in contrast with a minor party.
Definition according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Major party: a political party having electoral strength sufficient to permit it to win control of a government usually with comparative regularity and when defeated to constitute the principal opposition to the party in power.
– Merriam-Webster Dictionary online1
Major parties hold a significant percentage of the vote in elections, have more members and memberships than minor parties. Major parties have the most donors, support networks and funding for elections. Their candidates for political positions are closely watched since they have the highest chance of being voted for office because of the high membership, recognition and donations that these parties are able to generate.
In the United States, the major parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, which get most of the votes in elections. Since the American Civil War (1861–1865), only four presidential candidates other than Republicans and Democrats have received over 10% of the popular vote, and one of these was a former president.2
Major parties in the United Kingdom are the Labour Party of former prime minister Tony Blair and the Conservative Party.
In Australia the major parties are the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia. Federally (and in New South Wales) the Liberal Party of Australia is in coalition with the Nationals.
Two major parties can lead to a two-party system. If there is only one major party, then it is a dominant-party system. In a multi-party system, a major party is one that occasionally controls the presidency or premiership and is the most influential party in a coalition government. In some single-party systems, there are minor parties that are allowed to exist but are permanently locked into a coalition with the ruling party.citation needed
See also
References
- ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary online
- ^ Third-Party Candidates Can Influence U.S. Presidential Elections, America.gov, 20 August 2007.
Third-Party Presidential Candidates, 1832-1996 Third-party candidates who received more than the historical average of 5.6 percent of the popular vote are listed below. Year Party Candidate Popular Vote % Electoral Votes Outcome in Next Election 1996 Reform H. Ross Perot 8.4 0 Did not run; endorsed Republican candidate George W. Bush 1992 Independent H. Ross Perot 18.9 0 Ran as Reform Party candidate 1980 Independent John B. Anderson 6.6 0 Did not run 1968 American Independent George C. Wallace 13.5 46 Won 1.4 percent of the popular vote 1924 Progressive Robert M. La Follette 16.6 13 Returned to Republican Party 1912 Progressive ("Bull Moose") Theodore Roosevelt 27.4 88 Returned to Republican Party 1912 Socialist Eugene V. Debs 6 0 Won 3.2 percent of the popular vote 1892 Populist James B. Weaver 8.5 22 Endorsed Democratic candidate 1860 Constitutional Union John Bell 12.6 39 Party dissolved 1860 Southern Democrats John C. Breckinridge 18.1 72 Party dissolved 1856 American ("Know-Nothing") Millard Fillmore 21.5 8 Party dissolved 1848 Free Soil Martin Van Buren 10.1 0 Won 4.9 percent of the vote 1832 Anti-Masonic William Wirt 7.7 7 Endorsed Whig candidate Percentages in bold are those over 10% in elections since 1860. (Information derived from the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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