Political party systems

political system with only one party permanently in control

system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coalition

government dominated by only two groups

political party with a balanced program (or one containing elements of ideologies from across the political spectrum) intended to be competitive among all sections of society

type of organization of a democracy in terms of the number of parties and their relative power

continuous dominance of a single political party in elections

The period from 1955 to 1993 when the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) maintained dominant party status in Japan