World Political Systems 2015

The above map shows the political systems (IE if they're democracies (and what kind), Dictatorships, etc.) of the world as of December 26th, 2015.


Some notes on terminology;

Dominant Party State (ex. South Africa):
A country in which a single party dominates the political system, this can either be due to legitimate popularity or the system being rigged; while it is possible for other parties to win seats and in a few cases quite alot of seats, in these states the Dominant party none the less retains the majority of seats and power.

Two-party state (ex. United States):
A country in which two parties dominate the political system to the point that they are the only parties of power; a third party may win a small amount of seats occasionally, but never anywhere near enough to be influential.

Two Point Five Party State (ex. United Kingdom):
A country in which two parties are the main/primary parties but in which it's possible for a third party to win enough seats to have some bit of influence or on occasion be a member of a coalition with one of the two major parties.

Multi-Party State (ex. France):
A country in which there are many parties that win seats, with it being rare (though not impossible) for any one party to win a majority and in which there are three or more major parties.

Non-Partisan State (ex. Marshall Islands):
A country in which there are no political parties or in which political parties either do not win seats in elections or only win a small amount, with the majority or all members of the legislature being Independents.

Flawed Democracy (ex. Russia):
This is a broad category, with varying levels (ex. Turkey is much less flawed and more free than Zimbabwe, despite both being in this category) that are designated by how the coloring is shown so a country with the Flawed color in-filled is very flawed while one with the color outlining represents one that's only partially so; the definition for Flawed Democracy is based on the political rights of the legal residents/citizens of the country to vote and how free and fair the electoral process is.

Theodemocracy (Iran):
A country in which there are elections, but in which religious tenants and proscriptions are ingrained into the legal system and constitutional order in such a degree that those seeking office must fall within established religious requirements (which does not always require you BE a member of the state religion).