Influence of the Type of Dominant Party on Democracy : A Comparison Between South Africa and Malaysia

Dominant parties and democracies – are they really strange bedfellows? Malte Kaßner sheds light on the relation between one-party dominance and democracy from a comparative perspective. The study examines the key question how different types of dominant parties influence democracy in multicultural societies with the help of two case studies: South Africa and Malaysia. Both countries are characterized by an ethnically, linguistically and religiously plural society. The author analyses the two dominant parties African National Congress (ANC) and United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and their implications on democracy in the two countries. The outcome suggests that one-party dominance per se cannot be assessed as beneficial or harmful for democratic development. Rather, dominant parties deserve a stronger analytical differentiation. Causal patterns contribute to such a differentiation.