There can be no real democracy without political parties – the lubricant that
oils the engine of democracy. However, the dichotomy between political
parties and democracy remains uncertain. The same is true of the relationship
between democratic theory and party organisations. The concept of intra-party democracy centres on the idea of including party members in intra-party deliberations and decision-making processes. It is true that parties that are not open and transparent are unlikely to become democratic in
their policy commitment because democratic institutions produce democratic
attitudes and authoritarian institutions produce authoritarian attitudes.
Our thesis is that intra-party democracy is a prerequisite for a democratic
state. This paper traces the development of intra-party democracy within
the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and argues that a new model
of intra-party democracy, which is participatory in nature, is emerging
within the party, although it is still resisted by some, ostensibly on the
grounds that it destabilises the party.