Party chair
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In politics, a party chair (often party chairperson/-man/-woman or party president) is the presiding officer of a political party. The nature and importance of the position differs from country to country, and also between political parties.
The role of a party chairman is often quite different from that of a party leader. The duties of the chairman are typically concerned with the party membership as a whole, and the activities of the party organization. Chairmen often play important roles in strategies to recruit and retain members, in campaign fundraising, and in internal party governance, where they may serve as a member of, or even preside over, a governing board or council. They often also have influence in candidate selections, and sometimes in the development and promulgation of party policy. When describing the position within the American Democratic Party, PBS NewsHour described it as "part cheerleader, part fundraiser, part organizer and recruiter, part public messenger".[1]
Throughout the years Party Chairman roles have changed as candidates create their own fundraising committees.[2]
Examples
Belgium
In
Most major political parties elect their chairman by a vote of all the party's members. This practice was started by the
India
The convenor of the ruling BJP led National Democratic Alliance is called the Chairperson. India's Home Minister Amit Shah holds the post.
China
The leader of Chinese Communist Party between 1943 and 1982 was the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. The post of chairman was abolished in 1982, and most of its functions were transferred to the revived post of General Secretary. The move was made as part of a larger effort to distance the country from Maoist politics.
Malaysia
Usually in Malaysia, the term is used to refer any leader of a political coalition. The term 'president' in the other hand refer to a political party leader. Despite that, the role of a coalition chair is the same as party leader. The leader of the largest party within the coalition is usually will also be the chairperson of his or her alliance. However, this is not a requirement. For example, current President of People's Justice Party cum Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is also the Chairman of Pakatan Harapan despite his party is not the largest one in the coalition.
However, in a political party, there may still a title of Chairperson (often styled as Permanent Chairperson) exist in most of parties. It holds the highest ranking in any party posts. Despite that, the position is not the most powerful within the party as the President still holds its power.
Netherlands
In the
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom the term may refer to the holder of the office of Chairman of the Conservative Party or to a senior member of the Labour Party (not to be confused with the other Chairman of the Labour Party who chairs the NEC or the Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected solely by Labour MPs). This title was given to Labour's Harriet Harman after she was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in June 2007.
United States
The chairmen of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) serve as the operational heads of their respective political party. In addition, each state and territory has their own Democratic and Republican Party which also have chairmen or chairwomen.
See also
References
- ^ Barrow, Bill (2017-02-24). "Why does the Democratic Party chair race matter?". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ Dixon, Matt (2023-01-11). "Race for Florida GOP chair heats up ahead of 2024". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-04-15.