This article is about single-party political states. For telephone recording laws and notification requirements see Telephone recording laws#One party notification states. Part of the Politics series Party politics Political spectrum Leftright politics Left-wing  Right-wing Party platform   Party system Dominant-party Multi-party Non-partisan Single-party Two-party Lists Ideologies Parties by country Parties by UN geoscheme Politics portal v d e

A single-party state one-party system or single-pay system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election. Sometimes the term de facto single-party state is used to describe a dominant-party system where laws or practices prevent the opposition from legally getting power. Contents 1 Concept 2 Examples 2.1 Current single-party states 2.2 Former single-party states 3 See also 4 Notes 5 External links Concept

Some single party states only outlaw opposition parties while allowing subordinate allied parties to exist as part of a permanent coalition such as a popular front. Within their own countries dominant parties ruling over single-party states are often referred to simply as the Party. For example in reference to the Soviet Union the Party meant the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; in reference to the former People's Republic of Poland it referred to the Polish United Workers' Party.

Some one-party states may allow non-party members to run for legislative seats as was the case with Taiwan's Tangwai movement in the 1970s and 1980s. Other single-party states may allow limited participation by approved minor parties such as the People's Republic of China under the United Front or the National Front in former East Germany.

Most single-party states have been ruled either by parties following Leninism or by parties following some type of nationalist or fascist ideology or parties that came to power in the wake of independence from colonial rule. One-party systems often arise from decolonization because one party has had an overwhelmingly dominant role in liberation or in independence struggles. Not all authoritarian states and dictatorships operate based on single-party rule. Some especially absolute monarchies and certain military dictatorships have made all political parties illegal.

Where the ruling party subscribes to a form of Marxism-Leninism the one-party state system is usually called a communist state though such states do not use that term to describe themselves adopting instead the title of people's republic socialist republic or democratic republic. One peculiar example is Cuba where the role of the Communist Party is enshrined in the constitution and no party is permitted to campaign or run candidates for election including the Communist party. Candidates are elected on an individual referendum basis without formal party involvement though elected assemblies predominantly consist of members of the dominant party alongside non-affiliated candidates.1 Examples

The True Whig Party of Liberia is considered the founder of the first single-party state in the world as despite opposition parties never being outlawed it totally dominated Liberian politics from 1878 until 1980.2 The party was conceived by the original Black American settlers and their descendants who referred to themselves as Americo-Liberians. Initially its ideology was heavily influenced by that of the Whig Party in the United States. Over time it morphed into a powerful Masonic Order that ruled every aspect of Liberian society for well over a century until it was overthrown in 1980. While the True Whig Party still exists today its influence has substantially declined. Current single-party states

The following list includes the countries that are legally constituted as single-party states as of 2010 and the name of the single party in power:  People's Republic of China (Communist Party of China leads the United Front); Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. (1949)  Cuba (Communist Party of Cuba) (1959)  Eritrea (People's Front for Democracy and Justice) (1993)  North Korea (Korean Workers' Party leads the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland) (1948)  Laos (Lao People's Revolutionary Party leads the Lao Front for National Construction) (1975)  Syria (Baath Party leads the National Progressive Front) (1963)  Turkmenistan (Democratic Party of Turkmenistan) (1991)  Vietnam (Communist Party of Vietnam leads the Vietnamese Fatherland Front) (1976) Former single-party states Most states in Sub-Saharan Africa after independence although all except Eritrea have eventually converted to a de jure multi-party system;  Angola (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola-Labour Party) 1975-1991  Benin (People's Revolutionary Party of Benin) 1975-1990  Burundi (Union for National Progress) 1966-1992  Cameroon (Cameroon National Union) 1966-1985 (Cameroon People's Democratic Movement) 1985-1990  Cape Verde (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) 1975-1981 (African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde) 1981-1990  Central African Republic (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa) 1962-1980 (Central African Democratic Union) 1980-1981 (Central African Democratic Rally) 1987-1991  Chad (Chadian Progressive Party) 1962-1973 (National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution) 1973-1975 (National Union for Independence and Revolution) 1984-1990  Comoros (Comorian Union for Progress) 1982-1990  Congo-Brazzaville (Congolese Party of Labour) 1969-1990  Cte d'Ivoire (Democratic Party of Cte d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1990  Djibouti (People's Rally for Progress) 1977-1992  Equatorial Guinea (Worker's National United Party) 1970-1979 (Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea) 1987-1991  Ethiopia (Worker's Party of Ethiopia) 1984-1991  Gabon (Gabonese Democratic Party) 1968-1990  Ghana (Convention People's Party) 1964-1966  Guinea (Democratic Party of Guinea) 1958-1984  Guinea-Bissau (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) 1974-1991  Kenya (Kenya African National Union) 1982-1991  Liberia (True Whig Party) 1878-1980  Madagascar (National Front for the Defense of the Revolution) 1976-1989  Malawi (Malawi Congress Party) 1964-1993  Mali (Sudanese Union-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1968 (Democratic Union of the Malian People) 1976-1991  Mauritania (Mauritanian People's Party) 1961-1978  Mozambique (Mozambique Liberation Front) 1975-1990  Niger (Nigerien Progressive Party-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1974 (National Movement for the Development of Society) 1989-1991  Rwanda (Democratic Republican Party-Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement) 1965-1973 (National Revolutionary Movement for Democracy and Development) 1975-1991  So Tom and Prncipe (Movement for the Liberation of So Tom and Prncipe) 1975-1990  Senegal (Socialist Party of Senegal) 1966-1974  Seychelles (Seychelles People's Progressive Front) 1977-1991  Sierra Leone (All People's Congress) 1978-1991  Somalia (Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party) 1976-1991  Sudan (Sudanese Socialist Union) 1971-1985  Tanzania (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) 1977-1992  Tanganyika (Tanganyika African National Union) 1961-1977  Zanzibar (Afro-Shirazi Party) 1964-1977  Togo (Party of Togolese Unity) 1962-1963 (Rally of the Togolese People) 1969-1991  Uganda (Uganda People's Congress) 1969-1971  Upper Volta (Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1966  Zambia (United National Independence Party) 1972-1990  Zaire (Popular Movement of the Revolution) 1967-1990 Some Middle Eastern and North African states;  Algeria (National Liberation Front) 1962-1989  Egypt (National Union) 1953-1962 (Arab Socialist Union) 1962-1978  Iran (Rastakhiz Party) 1975-1978  Iraq (Baath Party) 1968-2003  South Yemen (Yemeni Socialist Party) 1978-1990  Syria (Arab Liberation Movement) 1952-1954  Tunisia (Socialist Destourian Party) 1957-1988  Turkey (Republican Peoples Party) 1923-1946 One state in South Asia;  Bangladesh (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League) (June 1975 - April 1979) One state in Southeast Asia;  Burma (now known as Myanmar) (Burma Socialist Programme Party) (March 23 1964- September 18 1988) The former Soviet Union Warsaw Pact and other Communist states;  Afghanistan (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan) 1978-1992 Albania (Labour Party of Albania) 1944-1991 Bulgaria (Bulgarian Communist Party) 1946-1990  Cambodia (Communist Party of Kampuchea) 1976-1979 (Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party) 1979-1991 Czechoslovakia (Communist Party of Czechoslovakia led the National Front) 1948-1989  East Germany (Socialist Unity Party of Germany led the National Front) 1949-1989  Grenada (New Jewel Movement) 1979-1983 Hungary (Hungarian Working People's Party) 1948-1956 (Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party) 1956-1989  Mongolia (Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party) 1921-1990 Poland (Polish United Workers' Party led the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth) 1948-1989 Romania (Romanian Communist Party) 1947-1989  Soviet Union (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) 1922-1990  Yugoslavia (League of Communists of Yugoslavia) 1945-1990 Several nationalist states; Federal State of Austria (Fatherland's Front) 1934-1938  Republic of China (Chinese Nationalist Party) 1928-1987  Independent State of Croatia (Ustashe) 1941-1945  Dominican Republic (Dominican Party) 1930-1961  Nazi Germany (National Socialist German Workers' Party) 1933-1945  Kingdom of Hungary (Arrow Cross Party) 1944-1945  Kingdom of Italy (National Fascist Party) 1926-1943 and  Italian Social Republic (Republican Fascist Party) 1943-1945  Japan (Imperial Rule Assistance Association) 1940-1945  Manchukuo (Concordia Association) 1932-1945  Norway (National Gathering) 1942-1945  Paraguay (Colorado Party) 1947-1962  Philippines (KALIBAPI) 1943-1945  Portugal (National Union) 1933-1974  Kingdom of Romania (National Renaissance Front) 1938-1940 (Iron Guard) 1940-1941  San Marino (Sammarinese Fascist Party) 1926-1943 (Republican Fascio of San Marino) 1944 Slovak Republic (Slovak People's Party) 1939-1945  Spain (Spanish Patriotic Union) 1923-1930 (National Movement) 1939-1975 See also List of democracy and elections-related topics Multi-Party System Two-Party System Dominant Party System Notes Cuba: Elections and Events 1991-2001 Latin American Election Statistics Home Liberia Country Study: The True Whig Ascendancy Global Security External links Map of One Party States 1945-95 Single party states in Africa List of One-Party Regimes When the State is Ultimate Totalitarian Daydreams and Christian Humanism v d eAuthoritarian forms of government Autocratic Absolute monarchy  Despotism  Dictatorship  Enlightened absolutism  Tyranny Totalitarian Fascism  Nazism  Communist state  Theocracy Other Illiberal democracy (Inverted totalitarianism  Totalitarian democracy) Military dictatorship  Military junta  Oligarchy  Single-party state  Police state (Counterintelligence state)