Political parties are crucial but they are not highly regarded.

This report offers a preliminary assessment of the state of political parties in Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic. Its purpose is to provide useful inputs for a debate about the current state of, and prospects for, political parties in the region.

Concern about political parties arises, on one hand, from their vital role in the consolidation of the region’s democracies, and on the other, from their negative public image (as reflected in polls and the opinions of many outside observers).

The report pays special attention to two voices that have been the subject of relatively little study: those of political leadership, and of the parties themselves (i.e. their institutional voices).