Democratic political parties are in the midst of a perfect storm of populism, extremism, nationalism and authoritarianism. Corruption, indifference to voters and opaque party organizations have undermined public confidence in political parties, fueling democratic instability and weakening global institutions. Illiberal actors and malign influences from foreign governments like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia are likely to continue escalating their attacks on democracies in the years to come.

As public and fundamental institutions in any democratic system, political parties must be transparent in their daily procedures and management, in order to endorse themselves as responsible actors who are accountable to citizens for how and why they make the decisions that guide their actions.

Political parties today are challenged to engage in democratic and inclusive decision making within their structures to strengthen their legitimacy and the confidence of their members and citizens in parties.  

Gender equality is central to EU membership (Romania) and accession treaties (Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia). Nonetheless, women in political life in SEE face many obstacles, including gender-based discrimination and stifling traditional gender roles. Women are politically underrepresented in all SEE countries, and in all decision-making bodies. Women from ethnic minority groups as well as LGBTQI+ communities face further marginalization and exclusion.

Political parties should play key roles in democratic governance by representing citizens and aggregating their concerns into policy, and by vetting, selecting and influencing political leaders. However, corruption, state capture, populism and opaque party organizations undermine public confidence in parties around the world, fueling political instability.