AP®︎ Comparative Government: Unit 4 Flashcards
Master key terms and definitions for Unit 4 of AP Comparative Government – Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations to help you prep for quizzes and the AP exam.
Electoral System
The institutions and rules that determine who may compete and vote, how representatives are selected, and how votes are converted into public offices or legislative seats
The institutions and rules that determine who may compete and vote, how representatives are selected, and how votes are converted into public offices or legislative seats
An election in which voters directly determine the officeholders, either by choosing candidates or by voting for a party list whose candidates receive seats
An election in which voters choose a lower-level body whose members then select officials at a higher level
An electoral district that elects one representative
An electoral district that elects two or more representatives and is required for proportional representation
The number of representatives elected from an electoral district
An electoral formula in which the candidate receiving more votes than any other candidate wins, without needing an absolute majority
Plurality voting in a single-member district: the candidate with the most votes wins the district’s seat
More than half of the votes cast
A system in which the top two candidates compete in a second round if no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first
A system allocating seats in approximate proportion to parties’ vote shares through multimember districts, thereby promoting multiparty representation
A form of proportional representation in which parties nominate lists of candidates and receive seats according to their vote shares
The minimum vote share a party must receive to participate in the proportional allocation of seats
An electoral system combining multiple formulas, typically single-member district elections for some seats and party-list proportional representation for others
A legislative seat set aside for a designated group, directly guaranteeing that group representation
A rule requiring a specified share or balance of women among a party’s candidates or on its candidate lists
The tendency of representatives tied to geographic districts to assist local residents and remain answerable to them at subsequent elections
Representation linking an elected official to the interests of voters in a particular territorial district or region
The principle that single-member plurality elections tend to produce two-party competition, while proportional representation tends to support multiparty competition
Citizens elect county and township congresses, successively higher congresses elect those above them, and provincial-level bodies select up to 3,000 NPC deputies
The 290 members are directly elected from single-member and multimember districts, sometimes through second rounds, after Guardian Council vetting; five seats are reserved for non-Muslim minorities
Of 500 deputies, 300 are elected by plurality from single-member districts and 200 by party-list PR from five 40-seat regional constituencies
Each of 32 federal entities elects two senators from the first-place slate and one from the second-place slate, while 32 additional senators are elected by nationwide party-list PR.
Mexico requires gender parity in parties’ nominations for federal and local legislative offices, with enforcement rules intended to ensure women receive viable candidacies
Its 360 members are directly elected by plurality from single-member districts, with each state’s number of districts based on population
Each of the 36 states directly elects three senators from single-member districts, and the Federal Capital Territory elects one, for 109 senators total
Of 450 deputies, 225 are elected from single-member districts and 225 by nationwide party-list PR with a 5% threshold; the mixed system was restored in 2016 after two all-PR elections
Each of 650 MPs is directly elected from a single-member constituency by first-past-the-post, with no majority requirement or second round
The candidate receiving a plurality of Mexico’s nationwide popular vote wins the presidency; no absolute majority is required
A candidate must win the most votes nationwide and at least 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of Nigeria’s states
A candidate must win an absolute majority of the popular vote; otherwise, the top two candidates compete in a runoff
A candidate must win an absolute majority of the popular vote; otherwise, the top two candidates compete in a runoff
A claim that electoral support authorizes a winner to govern and pursue a policy agenda
The requirements a candidate or party must satisfy to appear on the ballot and compete in an election
Electoral selection in which meaningful alternatives can access the ballot and voters can determine which candidates receive office
Before Iran’s Majles elections, the Guardian Council screens prospective candidates and may exclude them from the ballot, restricting electoral competition
Mexico’s independent electoral commission, created to reduce manipulation and fraud and make party competition more credible
Nigeria’s election commission, responsible for regulating and administering national elections, registering voters and candidates, and reducing fraud
Members are formally appointed by the monarch, generally on recommendations from the prime minister or an independent appointments commission
The Supreme Leader appoints six Islamic jurists; six legal jurists are nominated by the judiciary’s head and approved by the Majles
Russia’s regional executive and legislative authorities select representatives to the Federation Council instead of voters electing them directly
Administrative regions grouping Russia’s federal subjects under presidentially appointed envoys who monitor regional compliance and extend central executive control
A system in which only one political party can exercise governing power
A system that permits multiple parties but in which one party repeatedly controls government because of popularity or advantages that disadvantage opponents
A system dominated by two major parties, either of which is capable of forming the government
A system in which several parties can win meaningful representation or participate in governing coalitions
A party that uses a broad or ideologically diverse platform to attract voters from different social, regional, ethnic, religious, or economic groups
An alliance of political parties that cooperate to contest elections, support common candidates, form a government, or pursue shared policies
The tendency of legislators to vote with their party leadership rather than act as fully independent representatives
The distribution of government jobs, contracts, or other benefits in return for political support
A Leninist principle permitting internal discussion before a party decision but requiring all members and lower bodies to obey the final decision
China’s ruling party, which monopolizes control of the government and military while permitting eight subordinate parties to participate in consultation
Eight legally recognized parties that may participate in consultation under CCP leadership but cannot compete to replace the Communist Party in power
Russia’s dominant governing party, supported by legal, media, institutional, and state-resource advantages over opposition parties
The former Mexican practice through which the incumbent president effectively selected the PRI’s next presidential candidate and likely successor
The party that dominated Mexico’s presidency from 1929 to 2000 through patronage, controlled succession, electoral manipulation, and political advantages
A major Mexican party whose candidate Vicente Fox won the presidency in 2000, ending uninterrupted PRI presidential rule
One of the three major parties at the center of Mexico’s transition-era competitive multiparty system
A major Nigerian catch-all party that dominated the early Fourth Republic before losing the presidency to the APC in 2015
A major Nigerian catch-all party formed from opposition groups that won the presidency in 2015
A major British center-right party generally associated with markets, private enterprise, and more limited economic intervention
A major British center-left party generally associated with organized labor, social welfare, and greater government intervention
Parties such as the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and Northern Irish parties whose geographically concentrated support allows them to win representation despite limited nationwide vote shares
Large numbers of people, organizations, and informal networks acting collectively for broad political, social, or cultural change, often without formal membership or centralized leadership
A formally organized body that represents a specific interest or policy concern and seeks to influence public officials rather than win control of government
The sphere of voluntary organizations, associations, and networks outside direct state control through which people organize, express interests, and pursue shared goals
A movement that builds power from affected local communities upward; its limited hierarchy can make suppression harder but coordination, mobilization, and negotiation more difficult
Iranian mass movement that challenged alleged manipulation of the 2009 presidential election and demanded electoral transparency; repression prevented it from overturning the result but publicized electoral grievances
Mexican movement begun in Chiapas in 1994 against indigenous exclusion, inequality, land problems, and NAFTA’s effects; it promoted indigenous rights, autonomy, and social justice
The 1994 agreement that reduced trade barriers among Mexico, the United States, and Canada, deepened regional economic integration, and helped provoke Zapatista opposition before its 2020 replacement by USMCA
Loose, militant Nigerian movement seeking greater local control and a fairer share of Niger Delta oil wealth, using attacks, kidnappings, and disruption of petroleum production
Predominantly nonviolent Niger Delta movement for Ogoni rights, environmental justice, and fair oil-revenue distribution, associated with Ken Saro-Wiwa and international publicity
Violent insurgent movement in northern and northeastern Nigeria that rejects the secular state and Western-influenced education and seeks an Islamic state under its interpretation of Islamic law
Domestic protests against Russia’s 2013 restriction on LGBTQ expression that faced arrests and dispersal but drew public and international attention to unequal treatment
A system in which multiple autonomous groups form independently of the state and compete for access to policymakers and political influence
A system in which the state structures policy access through recognized or sanctioned organizations representing major sectors such as labor, business, and agriculture
Interest groups formed independently of the state that determine their own leadership and goals and compete freely to influence policy
Organizations recognized, approved, funded, or supervised by the government and granted privileged authority to represent particular social or economic interests
A state-recognized umbrella organization that serves as the principal or sole representative of an entire economic or social sector
The weakening of PRI-controlled sectoral representation as democratization and political competition expanded autonomous groups’ access to multiple political channels
