Consolidation and Party Government in Southern Europe

Among the essential conditions for a recently installed democ racy to survive are that it reduce to a minimum or absorb the inconsis tencies of the first moments of transition and that it affirm its solidity vis-à-vis possible threats, whatever their origin. At the center of this process a stable system of political intermediation, able to guarantee the governability of the country in question, must be generated. With these premises, the present article analyzes the topic of democratic consolida tion in reference to the crucial role played by political parties. Although the analysis focuses on Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, the conclusions may be extrapolated to other European countries.