Party Membership in Latin American Political Parties: What is the Role of the Militantes? (original) (raw)

Party Membership in Latin American Political Parties: What is the Role of the Militantes?

Contrary to the situation in Europe, the research of political parties’ internal structure in Latin America has been rather limited. Moreover, comparative study of party membership is virtually nonexistent (Levitsky 2001; Wills-Otero 2009; for some exceptions, see Alcántara Sáez and Freidenberg 2003; Webb and White 2007; Alenda 2011; Ponce 2013; and Combes 2011; Muñoz Armenta and Pulido Gómez 2010 for case studies on Mexico). The goal of this paper is to contribute to fill the gap that evidences this area of study of party politics from the perspective of party membership. To achieve this goal, I examine the statutes of the principal political parties in Latin America and analyse the role given to the party members in approximately 60 political parties in the region. I organize this information according to three dimensions: entry requirements, members’ rights and members’ duties (in formal terms). First, I explore the conditions that the persons interested to become party members have to accomplish, focusing on whether there is any special condition. Second, I look at the role party members have with respect to the internal democracy, i.e., candidate selection and programme formulation, and if there is any condition of membership seniority. Third, I analyse the extent to what party are obliged to pay membership dues. I argue that these aspect are rather homogenous among the Latin American countries and cannot explain the differences in party membership levels. I posit some possible hypothesis and claim that these difference are due to a specific combination of historical, institutional and party-centred variables. This paper constitutes the first part of a larger project which will be complemented with an expert survey on party strategies regarding the role and influence of party members (second part) and with a field work consisting interviewing both party elites to contrast the official membership data and of interviews to grassroots party members (in particular about its motivations and its ideological positions) from various political parties-case studies selected based on the first and second part of the project.