what are political parties

A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. Members of a party often hold similar ideas about politics and may promote specific ideological or policy goals. Political parties are essential institutions of democracy, offering citizens a choice in governance and holding governments accountable. They have become a major part of the politics of almost every country, and it is extremely rare for a country to have no political parties. The two largest political parties in the United States are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, which have dominated American electoral politics since the 1850s