what is multi party system

A multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coalition. In a multi-party system, numerous major and minor political parties hold a serious chance of receiving office, and because they all compete, a majority may not control the legislature, forcing the creation of a coalition. Multi-party systems tend to be more common in parliamentary systems than presidential systems and far more common in countries that use proportional representation compared to countries that use first-past-the-post elections. In a multi-party system, each party competes for votes from the enfranchised constituents (those allowed to vote) . A system where only two parties have the possibility of winning an election is called a two-party system, while a system where only three parties have a realistic possibility of winning an election or forming a coalition is sometimes called a "third-party system".