The essence of political parties’ electoral activities and their main forms

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the essence of the electoral activity of political parties and the main forms of its implementation in the conditions of a democratic political process. Theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the role of political parties as key subjects of the electoral process, which ensure the connection between society and state power, are considered. It is substantiated that the electoral function is the basic function of a political party, since it is through participation in elections that parties seek to gain political representation, influence on the formation of state power bodies and the possibility of implementing their own program goals. It is shown that the participation of political parties in elections is not only political, but also public and legal in nature, which is reflected in the legislation of many states. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the main forms of electoral activity of political parties, among which agitation and propaganda occupy a leading place. The specifics of direct and indirect methods of communication of parties with voters are revealed, the features of the use of printed materials, media, personal meetings, rallies, door-to-door campaigns and other tools for mobilizing the electorate are described. The differences between agitation and propaganda are determined, and the main strategies and methods of propaganda influence within election campaigns are also described. The article analyzes the psychological aspect of the electoral activities of political parties. The mechanisms of psychological influence on voters, the patterns of transformation of political attitudes, stereotypes, beliefs and behavioral models of the electorate are studied. It is determined that the effectiveness of psychological influence largely depends on taking into account the socio-psychological characteristics of different population groups, the level of political culture, the emotional state of voters, as well as the authority of the information source. The stages of psychological influence during the election campaign are outlined and its main tools are characterized, in particular emotional persuasion, manipulative technologies, the use of authority, the sympathy effect and cognitive dissonance mechanisms. Considerable attention is paid to the differentiation of political parties' approaches to working with the urban and rural population. It is shown that electoral activity should take into account the specifics of political culture, the level of awareness, social attitudes and lifestyle characteristics of different social groups. It is emphasized that professional organization of work with voters, the right choice of communication forms and the ability to combine rational and emotional influence are important conditions for a successful election campaign.