Unified Parties in Divided Societies: Party System Unification in Belgium and Northern Ireland

In societies that are deeply divided along linguistic and/or religious lines, social reconciliation can often be a challenging task. This process can be even more complex if political parties and voters are divided along those same social markers. This paper explores the potential of electoral systems divided along linguistic and/or religious lines to come together. The study examines two cases in which the divided political system has been a solution for major social and/or political instability but arguably also the cause of protracted social tensions: Belgium and Northern Ireland. Using party manifesto and electoral survey data from the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the 2014 Belgian federal election, the paper examines if political parties and voters on both sides of the respective social divide have common ideological grounds. In short, can these party systems be free of religious or linguistic party fragmentation.