Parties and elections : Germany

In a modern democracy, competing political parties are of fundamental importance. They are elected for a specific term during which they either assume the powers of government or keep check on the activities of the current administration. They therefore play a major role in the shaping of public policy. These functions are taken into account in the Basic Law, which devotes a separate article (Article 21) to the parties: “The parties shall help form the political will of the people. They may be freely established. Their internal organization shall conform to democratic principles. They shall publicly account for the sources and use of their funds and for their assets.”