and social media, citizen movements have emerged as an alternative to political party membership for citizen participation in democratic decision-making processes. Diverse groups of citizens, often including high numbers of youth, have made an increasing impact on democratic processes in Asia and Europe. By using social media to organize and stage their protests, they manage to circumvent political parties and CSOs as the traditional entry points for political participation and representation. A joint project of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Hanns Seidel Foundation and International IDEA, this publication looks closely at initiatives and activities undertaken by political parties in Asia and Political Parties and Citizen Movements in Asia Europe Europe to relate to CSOs and citizen movements. Political parties POLITICAL PARTIES AND in the two regions operate in different domestic political contexts and different socio-economic conditions. Different approaches and a CITIZEN MOVEMENTS IN myriad of experiences are analysed in this book: from complete non- alignment between citizen movements and parties, as in the case of ASIA AND EUROPE Spain, to a very formalised party-CSO engagement in Sweden and Norway, to a watchful approach from the incumbent government toward protest movements in Vietnam, to CSOs-turned political parties in India and the Philippines. This book offers valuable lessons rapidly emerging citizen protests. Asia-Europe Foundation Hanns Seidel Foundation International IDEA (ASEF) Lazarettstraße 33 Strömsborg 31 Heng Mui Keng Terrace 80636 Munich S–103 34 Stockholm Singapore 11959 Germany Sweden T: +65 6874 9700 T: +49 89 1258 0 F: +65 6872 1135 F: +49 89 1258 356 F: +46 8 20 24 22 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.asef.org www.hss.de www.idea.int ASEF’s contribution is made ISBN: 978-91-87729-71-3 possible with the financial support of the European Union. Political Parties and Citizen Movements in Asia and Europe Editors Raul CORDENILLO Sam VAN DER STAAK Contributors Sabrina GACAD Kristin JESNES Sofia KARLSSON Hai Hong NGUYEN Ov Cristian NOROCEL Sean O’CURNEEN CAÑAS Prashant SHARMA Roland STURM Thorsten WINKELMANN Baiba WITAJEWSKA-BALTVILKA © Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) 2014 © Hanns Seidel Foundation 2014 © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2014 Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), International IDEA or their respective executive boards, governing bodies and/or members, including the European Union and ASEAN. This publication is independent of specific national or political interests. The electronic version of this publication is available under a Creative Commons Licence (CCl)—Creative Commons Attribute-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Licence. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the publication as well as to remix and adapt it, provided it is only for non-commercial purposes, that you appropriately attribute the publication and that you distribute it under an identical licence. For more information on this CCl, see: <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/>. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: International IDEA SE – 103 34 Stockholm Sweden International IDEA encourages dissemination of its work and will promptly respond to requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications. Graphic design by: Turbo Design, Ramallah Cover Design by: Turbo Design, Ramallah Printed by: Xpress Print Pte Ltd, Singapore ISBN: 978-91-87729-71-3 This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the researchers and should under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union. The views expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the main researchers and should under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the views or opinions of the ASEF, International IDEA or the HSF. Preface Political parties are important democratic institutions that allow citizens political participation and representation, which are among the key expressions of democracy. They remain the primary avenue through which candidates for various levels of public office are nominated. Thus, members of a political party can be chosen to run for public office and, when elected, become public officials. Once in Parliament, political parties can formulate and vote on public policies. A political party that applies democratic principles to its own procedures and practices should allow citizens to participate and contribute to decision-making processes; engage in advocacy and lobbying; and provide checks and balances through party structures, membership, communication channels and outreach procedures. Members of political parties can also elect their representatives to leadership positions at different levels of the organization. Political parties in Asia and Europe play a critical role in electoral democracies. Yet they are increasingly said to be a weak link of democracy and no longer regarded as the only engine of democratic processes. Although there are many important examples of well- functioning parties, more and more people have been voicing concerns that parties have primarily taken on the role of election machines. These concerns also include the charge that political parties lack strong democratically functioning structures and procedures for including diverse groups, and that they provide an insufficient number of policy alternatives. These perceived shortcomings allow other actors in a polity to play a more visible and catalytic role, including civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizen movements, which serve as vehicles for public engagement in political issues and thereby influence a country’s politics. In countries ASEF / Hanns Seidel Foundation / International IDEA 1 where political parties are not trusted or are perceived as a hindrance to change, some citizens turn their hopes to other actors to address their political needs. In recent years, and largely due to advances in telecommunications and social media, citizen movements have emerged as an alternative to political party membership for citizen participation in democratic decision-making processes. Diverse groups of citizens, often including high numbers of youth, have made an increasing impact on democratic processes in Asia and Europe. By using social media to organize and stage their protests, they have managed to circumvent political parties and CSOs as the traditional entry points for political participation and representation. A joint project of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Hanns Seidel Foundation and International IDEA this publication looks closely at initiatives and activities undertaken by political parties in Asia and Europe to relate to CSOs and citizen movements. Since political parties in the two regions operate in different domestic political contexts and different socio-economic conditions, there are varying approaches and a myriad of experiences, which vary from country to country—including the idea that there is no common definition of democracy and no single political trajectory toward democracy. The case studies presented in this publication highlight common issues, challenges and lessons that can be shared between the two regions. They also serve as examples of good practice from which actors from the two regions and beyond can benefit and learn. Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Hanns Seidel Foundation International IDEA 2 ASEF / Hanns Seidel Foundation / International IDEA Acknowledgements The editors would like to thank the case study contributors: Sabrina GACAD, Kristin JESNES, Sofia KARLSSON, Hai Hong NGUYEN, Ov Cristian NOROCEL, Sean O’CURNEEN CAÑAS, Prashant SHARMA, Roland STURM, Thorsten WINKELMANN and Baiba WITAJEWSKA- BALTVILKA. Special thanks go to ASEF, HSF and IDEA colleagues who co-led this project from the start: Thomas CORMIER, Grace FOO, Ronan LENIHAN, Achim MUNZ, Thierry SCHWARZ and Michael SIEGNER. We would also like to thank our peer reviewers: Andrew ELLIS, Alberto FERNANDEZ, Karin GARDES, Jenny HEDSTRÖM, Anh HELGE, Nana KALANDADZE, Marta KAZMIERCZAK, Thomas MAETTIG, Nyla Grace PRIETO, Leena RIKKILA and Kristen SAMPLE. In addition, we would like to thank Kelley FRIEL and Andrew MASH for their editing, and Lisa HAGMAN and Nadia HANDAL ZANDER for successfully coordinating and managing production of this publication. Finally, we would like to thank the participants of the workshop on Political Parties and the Citizen that took place in November 2013 in Myanmar. Their contributions on the future of political parties validated and further enriched the findings of this publication. ASEF / Hanns Seidel Foundation / International IDEA 3 Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 3 Acronyms and abbreviations .......................................................................................... 7 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 11 The rise of the citizen: what’s new? ....................................................................................