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Political parties have now become the norm in the governance of countries around the world. Governments are usually run by the party or a coalition of parties that garner the highest number of votes in an election. It is the way of democracy where the majority rule.

But democracy comes in different forms and sizes and no one has the right to dictate to any other country a one-size fits all model. It is up to individual countries to customise the kind of governance they feel suits their socio-cultural and even economic situation.

Cognizant of the foregoing and the need to evaluate the roles and achievements of political parties worldwide, the Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 6 hosted World Political Parties Summit in Beijing. The virtual summit, one of many events held by Beijing to commemorate 100 years of the ruling party brought together representatives of 500 parties from 160 countries, mainly from the developing world.

The CPC is still in a celebratory mood after achieving an unrivalled milestone of surviving a century at the helm. It is no ordinary fit even in the liberal West which prides itself in the consistency of free choice. In addition, the CPC is the largest party worldwide, which now has more than 95 million members in a population of 1.4 billion people.

CPC’s ideology is based on socialism with Chinese characteristics, which is viewed as a set of political theories and policies that represent Marxism–Leninism adapted to Chinese circumstances and specific time periods in the evolution of the Chinese nation. This has now been infused with modern philosophies and developed into “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” Xi is the current Chinese president.

Political pundits are now analysing the lessons behind such longevity, a rare phenomenon. One of the main pillars is being constantly responsive to the needs of the people. This is the reason behind the winning of the war against poverty and the ongoing push towards creating a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Of course, it would not have been possible without commensurate economic growth, which has seen the country become the second largest economy in the world.

The Chinese people have a lot to celebrate in marking CPC’s 100-year reign. For instance, life expectancy, which was only 35 years old in 1949, and 67.8 years in 1981, grew to 77.3 years in 2019. This has brought new challenges though, particularly taking care of a large ageing population.

But in mitigation of the current status quo, China’s government this year allowed couples to have up to three children, one more from the two previously allowed. This is expected to increase the population to replenish the receding numbers in the country’s labour force. Well, such long term thinking is an embodiment of CPC’s visionary leadership.

In the spirit of South to South cooperation and Sino-Africa partnership in particular, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa’s governing African National Congress party noted that “many of us who are participating in this summit owe a great debt of gratitude to the CPC for its unwavering support and solidarity as we have fought for liberation and as we have worked to develop our nations.”

He lauded CPC’s multilateralism, noting that Africans are appreciative of China’s progressive policies towards the continent and her people. Indeed, China has played a great role in supporting the continent’s economic reform, infrastructure development, trade and integration among African economies through measures like the Belt and Road Initiative.

Africa will always remember China’s generosity in providing vaccines, personal protective equipment and other vital supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramaphosa said South Africa is inspired by the eradication of absolute poverty in China, the largest developing economy on the planet, and that the historic achievements of the CPC have been made possible because “it has placed the needs and interests of the people at the center of its work.”

“As the African National Congress, we are honoured to have a strategic relationship with the Communist Party of China as a true and valued friend,” said Ramaphosa. Political parties are not vehicles of satisfying greed or for self-aggrandisement. Rather, they are supposed to act as platforms that promote the interests and aspirations of their supporters and all voters as well once they assume positions of leadership.

Basically, political parties are custodians of a people’s will to a better life. Having accomplished much at home, the CPC now seeks to play a bigger role in the world by bringing together people with disparate beliefs and political standpoints.

“The CPC is willing to enhance communication with political parties worldwide and jointly lead the economic globalisation toward a direction that is more open, inclusive, shared, balanced and win-win,” Xi said during his opening speech at the forum.

The writer is the Executive Director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi based research and development communication think tank.