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JanIwanek:Theregionalandlocalpartyinlight…
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ties,inmyopinion,areonlyatypeofaregionalpartyandnotaseparate,
parallelcategory.Furthermore,Idonotbelievethat“partiesattheregional
level”and“regionalparties”aresynonyms.Asdemonstratedbytheexpe-
rienceofmanystates,state-widepartieshaveverysuccessfullyfunctioned
andcompetedwitheachotheronaregionallevel.Inmanycases,thesepar-
tiespossessadecentralisedstructure(Spainhasgonesofarastousethe
termpartyfederalisation),whichchangesthenatureofpoliticalcompetition.
KatarzynaSobolewska-Myślikhasveryaptlyobservedthat:“Ahighlevelof
autonomyoftheregionalbranchesofastate-widepartyinshapingtheactiv-
ityinaregionisconducivetothemtreatingaregionasthemainbattleground
forcompetition,whichleadstoamodificationofthecompetitionstandards
ascomparedtothestandardsexistingonanational,centrallevel.”
18
Fur-
thermore,thankstosuchastate-widepartystructure,thewaypartyleaders
emergebecomesdifferent,makingthesuccessof“leader-driven”centralised
partieshighlyunlikely.Thissolutionenhancestherulesofcompetition,also
thankstothefactthatpowerfulregionalpartieshavetheirrepresentationat
thecentralauthoritylevel(Spain,GreatBritain,Italy).
Iamalsokeenonusingtheconceptofthelocalparty,acategorywhich
isnotfoundintheliterature.Thisconceptconcernsgroupswhichpursue
powerbywayofelectoralcompetition,inself-governmentbodies,i.e.mainly
atasub-regional,municipallevel.Itistheseparties,inparticularthatare
characterisedbyanabundanceoforganisationalforms(municipalassocia-
tions,localleadercommitteeswhichhavebecomepermanently,toarelative
extent,formalised).Apartfromalackofformalpoliticalpartystatus,they
meettheotherrequirementsofapoliticalparty(givenofcoursetheuseless-
nessoftheinstitutionalandorganisationaldefinitionofthestateatthispoint).
Inthisway,threelevelsofapoliticalpartyemerge:thenational,regional
andlocallevel.However,localparties,incontrasttotheothertypes,donot
usuallytakepartinelectionstothecentralauthoritiesofthestate.Theothers
areinvolvedintheself-governmentelectionprocessatalocallevel.
Aregionalorlocalpartyisthussuchapoliticalparty,whichischaracter-
isedbytwodistinctivefeatures:1)itsactivityisdelimitedbyterritory
19
,2)it
articulatestheinterestsofregionalorlocalcommunities,rightlyreferredto
asterritorialidentity.Thesetwoessential,thoughonlyadditional,featuresof
suchpartytypesarearesultoftheirpursuanceofachievingdirectorindirect
18
K.Sobolewska-Myślik:Partieisystemypartyjneł,p.25.
19
Whatismeantarenotlegallydemarcatedregions,lyingwithinadministrativebound-
aries,butregionsthathaveformednaturally.Forexample:CatalonianisusedinValencia,
partofAragonandintheBalearicIslands.WealsotendtoforgetthatNavarre,(asingle-
provinceautonomouscommunity)whichhasmaintaineditshistoricself-governancetradi-
tions(asexpressedinthenameofthecommunity)andwassupportedbytheFrancoregime,
isaBasqueProvince.Theretoo,inPamplona,OpusDeihavetheirheadquarters.
