3.5 Nature and Role of Political Participation

Political participation can be…

voluntary/coerced or individual/group level, and in support of regime or in opposition

how can political participation be encouraged

to enhance legitimacy (voting), gather input, safety valve (release frustrations thru protests), apply check of gov policies (vote people out), intimidate opposition, give illusion of influence, inc trust in gov

voting

use it to send message to gov that unhappy with candidates, or simply to have choice. can be forced or voluntary.

protests

• democracies tend to have fewer restrictions on public protests

• authoritarian gov restrict it

  • could be viewed as attempt of regime change

  • or attempt to build legitimacy

  • can simply be restricted by military force

protest example in Iran

• protest initiated by death of Mahsa Amini (Sep 2020)

  • rally involved regime supporters

  • designed to show public support for gov

  • shows that state power isn’t only on restriction, but also on organizing public displays for the gov

• since then, gov has intensified internal security measures - mass arrests and military deployments

• use repression to maintain control

protest example in China

• gov under CCP organizes large events

  • to involve mass participation

  • show popular support for regime

    • Sept 2025, China held big parade to mark 80th anniversary of victory over Japan during WW2

• has tight control over public assembly protest

  • tool for legitimacy of state power

example in Russia

• March 18, 2022: Moscow held rally marking 8th anniversary of annexation of Crimea

  • claimed that people pressured to attend

    • shows how state can use force to show legitimacy

• escalated political violent campaign against western countries

  • sabotage, drone incidents, disinformation

  • UN reported Russia targeted areas far from front lines of war in Ukraine

political violence

violence perpetrated in order to achieve political goals

• by states against each other

• state against civilians (genocide, ethnic cleansing, torture, assassinations, etc)

• non-state actors against states and civilians (kidnappings, guerilla warfare, rioting, etc)

asymmetric warfare

occurs between belligerents whose relative military power and resources differ significantly

• typically between professional armies and resistant militias

  • use guerilla warfare, rebellion, terrorism, etc.

examples in Nigeria

nationwide protests erupted in Aug 2025 under banner #EndBadGovernance

• protests met with violence by authorities (several killed)

examples in Mexico

organized crime remains deeply embedded in Mexico’s politics, undermining democratic processes and elections. Also affects legitimacy.

examples in UK

Sep 2025: large scale far0right immigration rally in London

• clashes broke out with police

earlier in 2025: protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Epping

what is political participation

the ways citizens engage with the political system to influence government actions, such as voting, protesting, or joining political organizations