electoralism means A state of partial transition from authoritarian rule toward democratic rule, in which the regime conducts the electoral aspects of democratic governance in a relatively free and fair manner. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 92 out of 100.
Why this word is great
ELECTORALISM — [Noun] A political strategy or transitional state focusing on electoral participation as a means to achieve democratic governance or political change. From electoral (relating to elections) + -ism (denoting a practice or ideology). Coined in the transitional governance sense by Terry Karl, a political science scholar. Unlike "revolutionism" (which seeks change through rupture) or "abstentionism" (which rejects the ballot as complicit), electoralism is the slow, stubborn work of bending institutions rather than breaking them. It is the ink-stained fingers of voters in a fledgling democracy, the slog of door-knocking in districts gerrymandered beyond recognition, the opposition party contesting rigged elections anyway—a fragile belief that systems can be changed from within, even as they resist. A faith that change can be counted, one ballot at a time, even as the counters cheat.
noun
- A state of partial transition from authoritarian rule toward democratic rule, in which the regime conducts the electoral aspects of democratic governance in a relatively free and fair manner.
- The strategy of electing politicians into a representative government in order to create political change.““In December, 1906, […] the great obstacle between the Confederation General du Travail and the Socialist party, the only organized forces of the working-class, was the electoralism which dominated the party. Today, in 1912, the great obstacle is the anti-parliamentarism which rages within the C. G. T.””