Why can't modern democracies not exist without political parties?
Answers
If there are no political parties in a democracy:
(i) Every candidate in the elections will be an independent candidate and no single person will be able to make promises to people about any major policy change. The government may be formed by the independent candidate who wins the majority of votes but the utility and extent of control of this government will remain uncertain.
(ii) Elected representatives will be accountable to only their constituency and what they are able to do in their locality. No single person/party will be accountable to the nation as a whole.
(iii) Political parties formulate policies and programmes for collective good and influence people to know why their policy is better than others. They try to implement the policies by winning popular support through elections. They reflect the fundamental political divisions in the society.
Hence, political parties are necessary in a democratic set-up and modem democracies cannot exist without them