Dominant Party Systems in Turkey, South Africa and Japan

Turkey has been ruled by the same political party since 2002 and its political system has been identified as a "dominant party system" in several studies. One party dominance in a democracy is a very rare political phenomenon, yet understanding the dynamics behind it is crucial to have a better understanding of the path Turkish democracy will take in the following years. Most studies on Turkish democracy and its dominant party system rely on single case studies and do not take advantage of a comparative perspective. Using Sartori’s (1976) criterion of a “predominant-party system” in a democracy and utilizing a "most different systems design", we try to identify the conditions under which one-party dominance is possible in democratic political systems (Turkey, South Africa and Japan) and bring a comparative perspective to the debate on challenges to democracy.