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The Philippine Political Party System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Carl H. Lande
Carl H. Lande
Affiliation:
The University of Kansas
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Extract

The main characteristics of the Philippine political party system since the achievement of Philippine independence in 1946 have been the following:

1. It is a two party system. Two major parties, the Nacionalistas and the Liberals, dominate the scene. Their nation-wide combined vote at the six post-war presidential elections held since 1946 averaged 94 per cent of the votes cast. At both the eleven senatorial elections and the six elections for members of the House of Representatives held during the same period, the combined two-party vote was also 94 per cent. At the five gubernatorial elections held since 1947, the corresponding figure was 97 per cent.* In none of these election years did the combined two-party vote for any of these offices fall below 70 per cent.1 While minor parties have appeared from time to time, few have remained active for an extended period of years, and none has seriously threatened to replace either of the two existing major parties as the governing party or as the principal party of the opposition.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian History , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , March 1967 , pp. 19 - 39
Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore 1967

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References

1. In 1957 Manuel Manahan of the Progressive Party of the Philippines and Claro Recto of the Nationalist-Citizens Party won 21 and 8 per cent of the votes respectively.

2. At the gubernatorial, elections of 1955, Nacionalista and Liberal Party candidates won 67 and 27 per cent of the votes respectively.

3. These 37 districts do not include those where there were but very weak rebel party candidates or former members of major parties who called themselves independent candidates.